Harmanpreet Kaur, a beacon of Indian cricket’s rise on the global stage, is set to make history. Next week, she will become one of only six players to participate in all nine editions of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup. This remarkable achievement makes her the sole Indian woman and the second Indian cricketer overall (after Rohit Sharma) to achieve this distinction.
While proud of this accomplishment, Harmanpreet’s focus remains on her ultimate goal – lifting the ICC trophy that has eluded her thus far. “I have played so many World Cups, and that experience and atmosphere is totally different to any bilateral series or any other tournament,” she shared before the team’s departure for the United Arab Emirates. “I am going with the same excitement as I had when I was just a 19-year-old. I just want to go there and enjoy myself. I know now I have so much experience with me,” she added.
Harmanpreet’s team is brimming with experience, with only three players yet to grace the T20 World Cup stage. However, Harmanpreet’s recent form has shown some fluctuations, possibly attributed to her decision to bat lower down the order in recent matches. Despite this, she has notched just two fifties since the last T20 World Cup. Her T20I statistics reveal 368 runs from 17 innings (22 matches) at a strike rate of 116.
Undeterred by her form, Harmanpreet remains confident. “I know what the pressure is like and how I am going to handle it. (It is about playing) with full freedom and just not thinking about the result. But if I go there and play freely and enjoy my cricket, I know I can change a lot of things.” Just as Rohit Sharma led the Indian men’s team to victory in June, can Harmanpreet replicate that feat next month? The world will be watching as she leads her team into battle, aiming to etch her name in history as a champion.
