Harmanpreet Kaur led India from the front with an 89-run knock as they reached the ICC Women’s World Cup final after defeating Australia by five wickets at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.
In the post-match presentation, the winning captain reflected on her side’s performance and said, “Very proud. I don’t have words to express myself. Feeling great — this time we have crossed that line we have been working towards for so many years. (On what she said to the head coach after the win) We spoke to each other and said that we’ve done this because we have been working so hard. Both of us are really proud of this team. We have that trust that any player can win any match from any situation.”
Coming in to bat at number four, Harmanpreet played a captain’s knock, scoring 89 runs off 88 balls. India lost openers Shafali Verma (10) and Smriti Mandhana (24) early, before Harmanpreet steadied the ship alongside centurion Jemimah Rodrigues.
The right-handed batter praised Jemimah’s unbeaten 127 in the record run chase.
“She (Rodrigues) is someone who always wants to do well for the team — always very calculative and eager to take responsibility. We always have that trust in her. Both of us had a good time out in the middle. Whenever we were batting, we complemented each other and calculated well. I really enjoy batting with her. She is always telling me, ‘We got five runs, seven runs, two balls left.’ That shows how involved she is. I was amazed to see how she was thinking. Lots of credit to her for holding her nerve and continuing to bat for the team,” Harmanpreet said.
Harmanpreet added 167 runs for the third-wicket partnership with Jemimah, which turned the match in India’s favour.
India will now meet South Africa in the final on 2 November at the DY Patil Stadium.
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