–Subhayan Chakraborty
If an army wants to win a war then it requires its commander-in-chief to fire all cylinders. When India hit the field for the first semi-final of the T20 World Cup, against Australia, the Women in Blue would need their skipper to be at her best. The ongoing T20 World Cup has been a reality check for Harmanpreet. Clearly, the Indian captain is struggling for form.
The group stage of the showpiece event ended with Harmanpreet celebrating an iconic milestone as she became the highest capped player, male or female, with 150 T20Is. She also managed to become the first Indian and fourth woman overall to score 3000 WT20I runs. Sounds all rosy, right? But things haven’t been easy at all for Harmanpreet on the pitch.
The Indian skipper has just 66 runs to show in four matches with a poor average and strike rate of 16.50 and 82.50 respectively. Only six players, in the list of top 50 run-scorers in the ongoing T20 World Cup, have a lesser strike rate than Harmanpreet.
It started with a sloppy 12-ball 16 against Pakistan where India were bailed out by Jemimah Rodrigues and later Richa Ghosh. Then came a watchful 42-ball 33 against West Indies wherein Harmanpreet played four dots in the 18th over before getting dismissed on the fifth delivery. In the high-octane encounter against England, the Indian captain arguably played her worst shot of the tournament and was sent packing for a six-ball four by Sophie Ecclestone before scoring a 20-ball 13 against Ireland in India’s last group match. The numbers are as ordinary as Harmanpreet’s exploits on the field in the 23’ T20 World Cup.
While there has been zero or very little signs of Harmanpreet bouncing back to form against the mighty Aussies, the 33-year-old has,
time and again, showed she loves to take control at the big stage.
Harmanpreet’s career has been defined by the unbeaten 171 against Australia in the 2017 World Cup semi-final followed by a half-century against England in the summit clash. Who can forget the 51-ball 103-run rampant against New Zealand in the 2018 T20 World Cup and then the thunderous ton against the Windies in the 2022 World Cup, and yes, there was a half-century against Australia in a group match of the 2022 WC. Is consistency, somewhat missing from Harmanpreet’s career graph? Yes. Despite that, is she a match-winner on her day? Definitely, yes. And India would rather want that fierce Harmanpreet to take the field in the semis, with a free mind and fearless approach.
In the build-up to the tournament, Harmanpreet Kaur suffered a shoulder injury that forced the Indian skipper to miss the two official warm-up matches of the T20 World Cup. The 33-year-old only batted at nets before the Pakistan match before skipping training sessions ahead of games against the West Indies and England.
“Harman, she has a very good training program. She knows the game inside out. And you won’t see her very regularly coming in the day before a game,” India’s bowling coach Troy Cooley had answered a RevSportz query during a press conference ahead of the West Indies match.
However, after the crushing defeat to England in the T20 World Cup, Harmanpreet not only turned up for nets but was one of the first to take throwdowns. Ultimately, she ended up promoting herself up in the batting order, at number three. A scratchy 20-ball 13 is definitely not what she would have imagined when taking the call.
“The way I want to bat, I don’t think I have done the way I was expecting. But being there is something which is very important. And today, that’s what I was trying. But it was, I think, a great catch taken by the fielder. These things happen when you’re playing for a long time. I think sometimes whatever risk you want to take, sometimes they go in your favour and sometimes it doesn’t. So, I think just being there and just playing free cricket is something which can always give you confidence. And that’s what I have been trying here,” Harmanpreet answered a RevSportz query during the post-match PC after the Ireland match.
Many on social media have said that the timing of Women’s Premier League (WPL) auction wasn’t the best. Harmanpreet being the Indian captain would have definitely wanted to be in the top 3 list of biggest gainers from the high-profile auction. Rather, she witnessed seven others rake more moolah than her. Such things may sound frivolous but do play a big role at the back of the mind.
One takeaway from India nets from the T20 World Cup has been Harmanpreet’s lack of involvement in team bonding/warm-up drills. There was a ‘foot-volley’ game organised by the coaching staff on the eve of the Ireland match. While the players present there took part in the drill, sharing claps, laughs and friendly banter, Harmanpreet stood by the coaching staff to be a viewer rather than a participant. Whether that is to safeguard from unnecessary injuries or niggles remains a mystery. However, she was way more proactive on the field against Ireland than she has been In this T20 World Cup – speaking to players, making constant field changes and guiding the bowlers.
Though Harmanpreet and the entire Indian team haven’t performed to to the best of the limits, the Women in Blue surely
hope that their skipper lights up the Newlands Cricket Ground when they take on the Aussies in the first semi-final on Thursday, February 23, just like she did in the 2017 World Cup semi-final.