If India finds itself in the knockout stages of the Women’s T20 World Cup in South Africa, much of the credit ought to go to their talismanic captain Harmanpreet Kaur. And if India eventually wins the World Cup, it will be the crowning glory of Kaur’s outstanding career spanning a little over a decade. Although only a cricketing ignoramus will attempt to draw a comparison, the point is the Women in Blue have come a long way since the days when they were paid scant respect and usually taken for granted. Individually and collectively, Kaur and Co. have exhibited almost ruthless professionalism in this World Cup. (Pic Courtesy: Instagram)
Updated On: 2023-02-21 03:44 PM IST
Run-machine Harmanpreet became the first Indian woman to amass an impressive 3000 T20I runs during India’s Women’s T20 World Cup encounter against Ireland on Monday. She achieved the milestone when she batting on 8* off 10 deliveries. The 33-year-old is only the fourth woman cricketer to achieve this feat after Suzie Bates, Meg Lanning and Stafanie Taylor.
Kaur’s career has been a lesson in stepping out of the comfort zone and achieving higher glory in every walk of life. Overall, Harmanpreet is now the third Indian to bag 3000 T20I runs behind Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Besides, she also holds the record for the highest T20I score (103) by an Indian woman cricketer.
When skipper Harmanpreet walked out for the coin toss on Monday, she became the first male or female player to play a total of 150 T20Is. The swashbuckling right-hander had also surpassed Rohit Sharma, Indian men's captain, in the overall list of most T20Is played by a cricketer, during India's previous encounter against England, before rushing past him to script history.
Interestingly, Kaur has made appearances in all editions of the T20 World Cup since the inaugural year of 2009, having amassed over 500 runs in 34 games with a century and a half-century. She made her debut in the same year against England. Since then, Kaur has featured in 150 games scoring more than 3000 runs at an average of 27.83, including a solitary hundred.
Under Kaur, India has reached the semi-finals of the 2018 edition and played the 2020 final, where the hosts won by a comprehensive margin. She also tops the charts among leading six-hitters from India, having hit more than 70 maximums.
