Harmanpreet is on the cusp of making history

Melbourne, March 6: Just one win away from ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2020 glory, Harmanpreet Kaur could be about to throw the biggest birthday bash of her life.

But regardless of whether or not she lifts the trophy on her 31st birthday, the India captain knows the occasion will be one to savour forever.

Kaur is on the brink of making history. When she leads India onto the MCG on Sunday, she will become the first woman to ever captain India in a T20 World Cup Final.

It’s not just her country’s first appearance in the showpiece, but also one that could break history in setting a world record attendance for a women’s sporting event.

But it’s not just about the history books, either. Sunday will be a special day for the skipper in more ways than one with her parents travelling from Moga to see her in action — her mother due to watch her play cricket for the first time.

If she was to mark the celebration with a win with them on International Women’s

◗ Harmanpreet brought more attention to women’s cricket in India than ever before when she hit 171 not out to knock Australia out of ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2017.

◗ Fans all over the world will have that defining innings in mind when she leads her country in a ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Final for the first time at the MCG on Sunday.

◗ Kaur celebrates her 31st birthday on the day of the 8 March Final, also International Women’s Day.

Day, it would be the most fitting of moments for a player who has revolutionised women’s cricket in her country.

As a kid, Kaur used to get teased for saying she wanted to be a cricketer when she grew up. But that clearly only fuelled her with more motivation to achieve new levels of greatness.

She featured in the inaugural Women’s T20 World Cup in 2009, but it took a while, and plenty of patience fine-tuning her game as a go-to batter and off-spinner, for Kaur to establish herself as a name in the side.

In the wake of a disappointing home World Cup, where India won just one game in the group stages, Kaur was handed the captaincy reigns in 2016 — and that’s where it all changed.

Kaur’s innings of an unbeaten 171 to flatten Australia in the 2017 World Cup semi-final sparked a new triumph for women’s cricket in India.

It did more than take them to the sold-out final at Lord’s. #Harmanpreet was trending on Twitter and suddenly she was the leading voice to take women's cricket to the next level, both at elite and grassroots level.

In 2016, she became the first Indian woman to sign an overseas T20 contract when she signed for inaugural Women's Big Bash League champions Sydney Thunder. — Agencies