Street cricket to date with Lord’s
MOGA: When Harmanpreet Kaur scored a brilliant 171* against Australia to power India into the final of ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup, the whole of Moga district erupted in joy. It was here that the Indian cricket star took her first step to becoming a match-winner for India.
Harmanpreet Kaur, who hails from Duneke village in Moga, started playing cricket in the streets, and that too with boys.
‘SCOPE FOR GIRLS’
“Harman had started playing cricket when we (family) didn’t even know its scope for girls, but her passion towards the game took her to the international level,” Harmanpreet’s younger sister Hemjeet Kaur told HT.
Hemjeet added that as a child
her only demands were related to cricket. She would often ask her father Harmander Singh Bhullar for bat and balls.
“As there were no girls to play cricket with her, she used to play with boys in the street and adjoining ground, where our father often took us to play. Scoring fifties and centuris was normal for Harman. My father,
who himself is a sportsperson, never discouraged Harman to play cricket,” she said.
ENCOURAGEMENT
Harmander, Harmanpreet Kaur’s father, who is a clerk at Judicial courts, said he always encouraged her to play cricket. He is proud that she had made not only her family or district but the whole nation proud.
Harmanpreet Kaur’s cricket journey got a new direction when school authorities informed her family about the potential she had and advised to admit her to a cricket academy. She finally got a chance to train at Gian Jyoti School Academy, during her 11th and 12th standard.
Then she went to Hans Raj Mahila Maha Vidyalaya (HMV) in Jalandhar, after learning that the college has separate cricket team for women.
After playing at the college level in Jalandhar, she moved to Mumbai, before Railways offered her to join their team along with a job of office superintendent.
Harmanpreet made her ODI debut at 20 against Pakistan in March, 2009, in the Women’s Cricket World Cup played at Bradman Oval, Bowral.