Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur talked about her future aspirations to win the ICC Women’s Champions Trophy and the T20 World Cup with her team after her team’s first-ever ICC Women’s World Cup victory. She also talked about acting “with her gut” and giving the ball to Shafali Verma after she had scored an incredible 87 runs with the bat. With the captaincy armband on, Harmanpreet, one of India’s women’s cricket team’s longest-serving players, finally realized her dream of winning the World Cup when India defeated South Africa by 52 runs in a decisive match.
Harmanpreet gave her an opportunity with the ball as well during the final, after Shafali’s 87 had boosted India to 298/7. It paid off handsomely, as she took two wickets of Sune Luus and an experienced Marizanne Kapp, putting tremendous pressure on the Proteas.
“Laura and Sune looked really good when they were batting,” Harman stated during the post-match presentation. Shefali was standing there, and I could tell it was her day based on the manner she had batted earlier. I felt my heart say, “Give her one over.” I followed my instincts. As soon as I asked her if she was ready, she said, “Yes.” Her desire to help with the ball has always been present, and that over completely transformed our relationship. We warned her that she could have to bowl two or three overs when she first joined the team. She stated, “If you give me the ball, I will bowl ten for the team!” She’s so sure of herself. She is confident, courageous, and always willing to help the team.
Looking back on the victory, Harmanpreet was thrilled with the team’s performance, the home crowd’s enthusiasm, and the BCCI’s and their support staff’s believe in them.
“I am incredibly thankful for this group of people. They have been outstanding. We appreciate everyone’s support during all of the highs and lows. A special gratitude goes out to our selectors, my dad (I nearly forgot him), and everyone back home. Many thanks. We always believed that, even after those three defeats. After the last game, we talked about it since we felt this team had what it took to make things better. Bravo to each and every member. They remained upbeat, concentrated, and gave it their all day and night,” Harmanpreet remarked.
“We appreciate the BCCI and support staff’s faith in us; they didn’t make many changes and had faith in this group. And it is thanks to everyone who has participated in this trip, both past and present, that we are standing here today. This is only the start. We have succeeded in breaking this barrier, which we sought to do. The next thing we want to do is make this a regular occurrence. Next year, we have the Champions Cup and another World Cup. We just want to keep getting better every day because big things are coming. “This is the beginning of a new chapter, not the end,” she continued.
Harmanpreet acknowledged that the weather made matters more difficult.
“In the final, we understood that 290 was a fighting total. There is always pressure during finals. South Africa deserves praise for their superb performance. Ultimately, though, we grabbed the opportunity when they started to panic, took those vital wickets, and swung the match in our favor. Very unique. We would discuss as a squad what we needed to do to get over the finish line at every World Cup. We have put in a lot of effort over the past two years under Amol (Mazumdar) sir. He never ceased to tell us that this squad is capable of incredible things,” she said.
