INDIA EYE RECORD IN MUSTWIN TIE
SA THRASHING: WOMEN’S TEAM LOOKS TO BOUNCE BACK
She has become an inspiration. Parents want to send their girls to the academy where Harman trained. Winning World Cup is her dream. HARMANDER SINGH, On his daughter
CHANDIGARH : It is rare when the Indian women’s cricket team is doing well, all-rounder Harmanpreet Kaur Bhullar is not among the main protagonists. Since the athletic cricketer from a small town of Moga in Punjab made her India debut in 2009, she has been the team’s middle-order mainstay. Be it the World Cup qualifiers or the Asia Cup title triumph, Harmanpreet has been the lynchpin of Indian batting.
However, the ongoing Women’s World Cup has not been a good one for Harmanpreet, who grabbed headlines when she became the first Indian to sign the T20 Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) contract in 2016 for Sydney Thunder.
Barring an unbeaten 24 against England in the opening match, Harmanpreet has not fired with the bat and has been batting well down the order at number 5 or 6. Her dip in form can be attributed to the fact that the 28-year-old suffered a finger injury on her left hand in the second match against West Indies while fielding.
“She was in pain after she injured her finger. Although, she bowled in the subsequent matches without any discomfort while batting she was did have some trouble. Even she is unhappy about her form. Hopefully, she will be scoring big against Australia and New Zealand to help India reach the semis,” said her father Harmander Singh, who works as a clerk in the district courts in Moga.
It was due to her father’s encouragement and her coach Yadavinder Sodhi’s guidance and help that Harmanpreet reached the Indian team. An employee of the Indian Railways, India team vice-captain Harmanpreet, who has 74 ODIs, 68 T20s and two Tests to her name, helped her father build a bigger house on the outskirts of Moga two years back.
“She has become an inspiration for other girls. Parents also want to send their young girls to the academy where Harman trained. Winning the World Cup is her dream. She will be fired up,” said Harmander.