Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur during a training session.
| Photo Credit: PTI
Harmanpreet Kaur likes to keep things light in training a day before a game. It was no different on the eve of the World Cup final against South Africa here on Saturday.
One of the broadcast personnel tailing the team’s training asked the Indian captain, “Not batting today?”
“Kal karungi (I will, tomorrow),” came a confident, calm reply.
The 36-year-old, who played a pivotal role in India making the final in the 2017 edition, has now led India to the summit clash of a home World Cup in her first 50-over showpiece as skipper.
Over the years, her angry-young-woman avatar has become a common sight; it even drives her like it did for her iconic 171 not out in the semifinal against Australia in Derby eight years ago. India knocked out the same side this time around, too, with Harmanpreet contributing 89 to pull off the highest run chase in women’s ODIs. But it’s the raw emotion and unending tears that caught everyone’s attention.
“I’m a very emotional person, and I cry a lot, often the first to, in defeat and victory. As a player, these moments are important. To beat a team like Australia, which is a big team and has always done well on the world stage, is not easy mentally. Overcoming that hurdle was very special for all of us. I always tell my team that you don’t need to control your emotions. If you feel like crying, cry.”
“We know how it feels to lose, but we are really looking forward to seeing how it feels to win. Hopefully, tomorrow will be special for us.”
India’s run to the final has been anything but perfect, with the Women in Blue losing to all three other semifinalists in the league stage. Harmanpreet underlined the side’s effort not to lose track of the big picture despite the setbacks.
“Even after the three big losses, the team didn’t shake even once. Through it all, we just keep reminding ourselves that this is a long process. There will be ups and downs. Some teams win, some will lose. At the end of the day, we just need to reach the end. We were talking about how to improve, yes, but we all had that one goal in mind and approached it positively, helping each other along the way.”
Published – November 01, 2025 07:59 pm IST
