Raipur, Oct 21 : Former India captain Harmanpreet Kaur fought back tears after ending a prolonged lean patch with a blistering unbeaten 91 off 41 balls against Zimbabwe in the third and final T20I here but later regained composure to credit her turnaround to the hours she spent practising in the nets.
Harmanpreet, who stepped down as India captain across formats earlier this month, had not scored a half-century in her last 10 matches.
She did not have much success with the bat in the Women’s T20 Asia Cup as well as the Asian Games, despite India winning both titles comfortably.
“It feels great. Just wanted to enjoy myself, and great that I got some time in the middle and really enjoyed myself on the field,” Harmanpreet told the host broadcaster during the innings break.
The 37-year-old was not able to control her tears in a post-innings chat with the on-air commentators. WV Raman, who was also the head coach of the Indian women’s team, was speaking with Harmanpreet when the latter broke down and left abruptly tossing the microphone away.
“I just wanted to bat as long as possible, and glad that I was able to do that. I think I should give credit to you also (to WV Raman).
“The moment we came, you stepped in and you said, ‘Now you do what you want to do,’ and that’s what I want to do, and really want to enjoy myself. Thanks for those words.”
Harmanpreet said there is no pressure on her anymore, having resigned as captain.
“I don’t think there is any pressure anymore. Now it’s all about going out there and enjoying myself on the field, and that’s exactly what I want to do,” she said.
The right-handed batter, who smashed 10 fours and five sixes, including some meaty blows down the ground, also credited her work in the nets.
“After the Asian Games, I got some time in the nets. I really want to thank Himanshu bhaiya (her batting coach), who’s been working really hard on me, and today’s batting was all him.”
After the match, Harmanpreet reflected more on her innings and revealed that she spent several hours training for the series in the nets.
“Before this series, I spent a lot of time in the nets, did a lot of drills, I think for five hours everyday, so that I get used to these conditions. The practice sessions have helped me a lot,” she said in a BCCI video.
“Now it’s all about working on my fitness and keep working hard in the nets. This entire year, we have played some really good cricket,” she added.
The two teams will now clash in an ODI series beginning October 23.
