Ahead of their Women’s Asia Cup clash against Nepal, Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur expressed her deep gratitude towards cricket, describing it as akin to a “god” that has shaped her life and career.
The Indian women’s cricket team is aiming to secure their third consecutive victory in the tournament as they face Nepal on Tuesday. With two wins from two matches, including against Pakistan and UAE, India is in a strong position to advance to the semifinals. However, Kaur and her team are determined to maintain their winning streak and keep their momentum.
In an exclusive interview with Star Sports, Kaur shared her heartfelt sentiments about the sport. “Cricket, I think, is everything to me. Without cricket, I do not think I would be anything. The name that cricket has given me, no other field could have given it to me. So I think, for me, cricket is like a god. Whatever I dreamt of in my childhood, whatever I dreamt of while playing, everything has been given to me by cricket,” she said.
Recalling the moment she first donned the Indian jersey, Kaur reminisced about the confusion she felt over whom to share the photo with first—her parents or her coach. “I can say that off-field, when I held the Indian jersey for the first time, I took a photo after wearing it for the first time, and I was just thinking about who deserves this photo first. Should I send it to my parents, or the coach who gave me this platform, who gave me admission to his school, and said, ‘I will start cricket in school for you,’ should I send it to him? So I was so confused, who should I send first, because both were equally important to me,” she reflected.
Kaur also highlighted her memorable performance in the 2017 ICC Women’s World Cup semifinal, where she scored 171* against Australia. She recalled a conversation with a friend who predicted her century would be crucial for victory. “On the field, in 2017, when I scored 171, that was something. I remember before that game, one of my friends told me, ‘We will win tomorrow only if you score 150 runs.’ I said, ‘150 runs? I have heard that you will score 100 runs, you will win tomorrow. 150, I mean, what is this demand, right? I will have to score 150 runs to win tomorrow.’ So that was stuck in my head for the whole night, and I kept thinking, ‘It is the Australian team, so I will have to play something different to beat them,’ because they had such a strong team. So I think that was very special for me,” she recounted.
Reflecting on the team’s evolution, Kaur noted the shift towards a more aggressive style of play over the past several years. “So we always discuss that if there are two options, we will always choose the aggressive option. Before, it felt like we were playing timidly. When things did not go according to our plan, we used to get scared very quickly, but now we play a little brave cricket, so we make brave decisions. With time, we have forced people to come to the stadium through our performance,” she concluded.
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