Mumbai: Current Indian women’s team vice captain Harmanpreet Kaur is being pitted as the new leader but the aggressive bats woman from Punjab isn’t thinking about it. She wants to live in the moment as the next 50-over World Cup in New Zealand has still lot of time left.
“Next World Cup is in 2021, that’s far away. We are playing well and if we continue to play like this, it doesn’t matter who is the captain. We reached close this time, hope next time we lift the cup,” she said here on Wednesday.
After anchoring the innings in the semifinal against defending champions Australia, Harmanpreet cut loose in the death overs to blaze total 171 off 115 balls with 20 fours and seven sixes. “I like to play like that, hit sixes from childhood. I have worked hard. My coach told me even if I my batting looks ugly, I should stay at the crease and I did that in the semifinal and final. Unfortunately in the final after playing myself in, I found the fielder,” said the 28-year-old who scored two fifties and a hundred in the last three games after batting in the lower middle order initially in the tournament to get less opportunities.
During that blazing innings Harmanpreet got angry on her partner Deepti Sharma while taking a double as she was approaching her hundred. “I don’t see my individual score. I didn’t want to lose any wicket at that time as we wanted to post a good total. Australia can bat deep and 250 odd even in 42 overs won’t be difficult for them. There was some misunderstanding at that time,” she said.
Harmanpreet was struggling at the end of that innings and she admitted she feared missing out on final. “The physio managed my injury very well to ensure I can play final. I always work on my fitness. I love playing football which keeps me fit,” she added.
Pacer Jhulan Goswami then came up with dream spell with support from Shikha Pandey to demolish top order including inform Meg Lanning with a beauty.
Jhulan took three wickets in the final as well. “Pressure has been there from the day we started playing international cricket. I have been in final in 2005 and seen it,” said 34-year-old Jhulan who was playing her fourth World Cup.
