MUMBAI: At the stroke of midnight, Harmanpreet Kaur created her legacy, “broke the barrier” and declared that this is not the end but just the beginning.
Having taken the World Cup-winning epochal catch, the mercurial Indian women’s team skipper displayed an entire gamut of emotions never seen before.
She ran like crazy as if there was no tomorrow after taking the catch. Stood a bit detached as the youngsters celebrated, trying to soak in the moment.
Touched “Guruji” Amol Muzumdar’s feet and engaged in an emotional hug where the tears burst out of the welled up eyes.
Called the two OGs of Indian women’s cricket Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami to hold the Cup. Both the legends broke down.
It was a moment to frame when the skipper and her deputy Smriti Mandhana engaged in a bear hug with Jhulan, telling her “Didi, Yeh Aapke liye thaa (Sister, this is for you)”.
And when Harmanpreet spoke at the post-match presentation ceremony, she didn’t lose the macro picture of what it means to be the first women’s team to achieve the unthinkable.
“This is the start. We wanted to break this barrier. And our next plan is to make this a habit. We were waiting for it, now this moment has come. So many big occasions are coming, and we want to keep improving. This is not the end, just the beginning,” the skipper said.
Captaincy is a lot about planning but just like it was Kapil Dev on June 25, 1983, whose gut feel told him to give one more over to Madan Lal against a rampaging Vivian Richards.
Harmanpreet felt that on Sunday, and her trump card was Shafali Verma, who possibly couldn’t have done any wrong.
“When Laura and Sune were batting, they were looking really good. I just saw Shafali standing there, and the way she was batting, I knew it was our day.
“I thought I have to go with my gut feeling. My heart was saying, I had to give her at least one over. And that was the turning point for us. In the end, they panicked a little and that is where we cashed (in). at the right time, Deepti came in and took those wickets.” Shafali had bowled 14 overs in her entire international ODI career and on the day got two crucial wickets.
“When she came to the team, we spoke to her that we might need 2-3 overs, and she said if you give me bowling, I will bowl ten overs. Credit goes to her, she was so positive and she was there for the team. Salute her.” It was Amol , who would always be on his skipper’s ears about doing something big and something special.
“Amol sir was with the team and he was always telling us to come up with something special, and to keep preparing for the big occasion.
“We should give credit to the support staff and the BCCI. We did not make too many changes (to our squad), and they really invested in us, and because of everyone, we are standing here.” For Shafali, who in the past one year saw her international career come to a standstill, must have felt that it had to be God’s decree.
“I said at the start, that God has sent me here to do something nice, and that reflected today. Very happy that we won and I cannot express it in words.” Coming for two knock-out games isn’t easy but Shafali had belief in her abilities.
“It was difficult but I had confidence in myself – that if I can stay calm, I could achieve everything. My parents, my friends, my brother, everyone supported me and helped me understand how to play.
“It was very important for my team and myself, and I just wanted to make my team win. My mind was clear and I worked on my plans.
“So happy that I could execute and Smriti di and Harman di, everyone was supporting me. They (seniors) asked me just to play my own game, and when you get that clarity, that is all you need. It is a very memorable moment.” With Sachin Tendulkar in the stands, it couldn’t have been more special for Shafali to do it in front of her idol.
“When I saw Sachin sir, it gave me an incredible boost. I keep talking to him, he keeps giving me confidence. He is the master of cricket, and we keep getting inspired just looking at him.”
