Harmanpreet Kaur: The girl who bowls medium speed with a scarf tied around her waist, conquers the world | Cricket news

After convincing her father to let Harmanpreet train at a private academy where he was the coach, 30 km from Moga, coach Kamaldesh took her under his wing. Her father, Harmandar Singh Bhullar, a local court clerk, was concerned about private school fees, but Kamaldesh said he would take care of it. Thus began a fruitful partnership between coach and player. “Harmanpreet’s sheer willpower and eagerness to learn is what has pushed her this far,” Kamaldesh said.

Harmandar established an early relationship with cricket with his daughter. On the day she was born, Harmandar bought a T-shirt with the phrase ‘good batsman’ printed on it. A prophetic decision. “I bought this shirt out of joy because I became a father to a girl. But I knew she would become an athlete. She played hockey and was interested in athletics as well. When I started playing cricket, I developed a passion for the game,” Harmandar had earlier told this newspaper.

Adelaide-based Yadwinder Singh Sodhi, son of Kamaldeesh, coached Harmanpreet before he moved to Australia. Watch on TV Harmanpreet scored 89 runs and added 167 with Jemima Rodriguez in the record chase in the semi-final against Australia. “She was willing to play second fiddle and knew her stability could help Jemima play freely at the other end. Her experience would then be demonstrated by the way she handled Australian spinners Alana King and Ashley Gardner. Earlier, she played at the square of the wicket but then in the semi-final, she used her feet and realized she couldn’t play on the slower wicket. The six over cover off Talia McGrath and then hitting Ashley Gardner was the shot that went through the off-wicket,” Yadwinder said. Only Harman can play it with such dominance and power.”

Since leading Moga to the Punjab zonal title in 2006, the zonal had been champions for nine consecutive years before Harmanpreet got busy on national duty. Kamaldesh witnessed a bright spark during the inter-zonal tournament in Patiala. “We were playing a match against Patiala for the Punjab Inter-Provincial Trophy and while hitting 75 runs, one of Harmanpreet’s sixes broke the window pane of a neighboring house. The owners of the house were very angry but when they learned that a girl had broken the windows with a six, they applauded Harmanpreet. When she played that 171-run knock against Australia in 2017, in addition to the knock in the semi-final of this World Cup, the World Cup had inspired many girls to take up cricket,” Kamaldesh said.

The Indian captain is one of the top six batsmen in the world. Yadwinder says it came naturally to her. “Maybe it was in her genes that she could hit the ball at will. When my parents built the girls’ team, she was medium pacer but she also spent time with her batting. As coaches, we could sense that she had what we call cricket IQ to hit the ball at the right place. Then we would work on her getting the art of running into the cow corner and the mid-wicket area by getting out and sweeping hard as well. It took some time but perhaps that was it.” Her early days were playing against much heavier boys which made her fearless. In 2009, months after making her debut for India, she hit a 91-metre six against Ellyse Perry and recalled how her bat was also checked. “Six mardi hai shuru toh (hit six alone from the start),” Yadwinder said.

Harmanpreet also had a two-year stint with Harshal Pathak in Pune, ahead of the 2017 World Cup, improving her bat swing to be more efficient. Throughout her career, Harmanpreet has always shone on big stages. The 171* belongs to the Cricket Hall of Fame, but she now also holds the record for scoring the most runs in the history of Women’s World Cup ODI knockout matches (331 in 4 innings). In the 2018 T20 World Cup, she became the first Indian woman to score a century in the shortest format. And in this edition, she saved her best for the mighty Australians.

During this campaign, Harmanpreet faced many challenges as a captain but kept the team together during a difficult league phase where the team lost three matches. Aside from her intense personality on the field, the world also saw her emotional side when she broke down in tears after the semi-final win. In the final, even though she scored only 20, her decision to bring Shafali Verma on was a masterstroke.

Coach Kamaldeesh is thrilled to win the World Cup, but what also gives him great satisfaction is how Harmanpreet has inspired other girls to take up cricket. “I am sure more parents will allow their daughters to play cricket, like the Harmans, Smritis, Jemima and others.”

For Harmanpreet, it will undoubtedly be the greatest night of her career. She told the ICC: “Itna haar liya hai, aur haar haar ke itna Seekh liya hai…” In the final, she learned what it feels like to captain the world champions.