Harmanpreet Kaur “broke the barrier” at midnight, establishing her legacy and proclaiming that this was only the beginning rather than the conclusion. The volatile captain of the Indian women’s team showed a wide range of emotions never seen before after making the historic catch that won the World Cup.
After taking the catch, she sprinted wildly as like there was no tomorrow. tried to take in the scene while standing a little detached from the youngsters celebrations.
She touched “Guruji” Amol Muzumdar’s feet and gave him a heartfelt embrace during which tears welled up in her eyes. She called Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami, the two pioneers of Indian women’s cricket, to hold the Cup. The two legends broke down.
The captain and her deputy, Smriti Mandhana, gave Jhulan a bear hug and said, “Didi, Yeh Aapke liye thaa (Sister, this is for you)”. This was a memorable occasion.
Additionally, Harmanpreet did not lose sight of the big picture of what it means to be the first women’s team to accomplish the unimaginable when she spoke at the post-match presentation ceremony.
“This is the start. We wanted to break this barrier. And our next plan is to make this a habit. We were waiting for it, now this moment has come. So many big occasions are coming, and we want to keep improving. This is not the end, just the beginning,” the skipper said.
Planning is a big part of being captain, but on June 25, 1983, Kapil Dev’s instinct persuaded him to give Madan Lal another over against a rampaging Vivian Richards.
On Sunday, Harmanpreet believed that Shafali Verma, who could not have done anything wrong, was her trump card.
“When Laura and Sune were batting, they were looking really good. I just saw Shafali standing there, and the way she was batting, I knew it was our day.”
“I thought I have to go with my gut feeling. My heart was saying, I had to give her at least one over. And that was the turning point for us. In the end, they panicked a little and that is where we cashed (in). at the right time, Deepti came in and took those wickets.”
In her whole international ODI career, Shafali had bowled 14 overs and on that particular day, she claimed two vital wickets.
“When she came to the team, we spoke to her that we might need 2-3 overs, and she said if you give me bowling, I will bowl ten overs. Credit goes to her, she was so positive and she was there for the team. Salute her.”
India Head Coach Amol Muzumdar was the one who always reminded the skipper to achieve something significant and unique.
“Amol sir was with the team and he was always telling us to come up with something special, and to keep preparing for the big occasion.”
“We should give credit to the support staff and the BCCI. We did not make too many changes (to our squad), and they really invested in us, and because of everyone, we are standing here.”
