 "Harmanpreet says India ready to conquer final hurdle after years of heartbreaks: ‘Looking forward to how it feels to win’")
With the Indian women’s cricket team having experienced multiple heartbreaks in the past, captain Harmanpreet Kaur is determined to help her side finish on the right side of the result for once when they face South Africa in the final of the ICC Women’s World Cup on Sunday.
India qualified for the Women’s World Cup final for only the third time in the history of the showpiece event after knocking defending champions Australia in the semi-finals with a stunning five-wicket victory. It is a victory that is bound to instil belief in the Indian team that they can finally conquer the last hurdle of a World Cup.
“We know how it feels to lose. But we are looking forward to how it feels to win. Hopefully tomorrow is a special day for us, we have done a lot of hard work, and it’s only about getting everything (done) tomorrow for the team,” Harmanpreet told reporters in Navi Mumbai on the eve of the final.
“We have been talking about that whenever we have enjoyed and given our best, we always get positive results.
“It’s a proud moment for me and the entire team, and I’m sure the entire country must be also very proud the way we have played the last two games,” she said.
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The Women in Blue had previously been thrashed by the same team in the final of the 2005 edition in South Africa, suffering a 98-run loss. And in the 2017 final in front of a sold-out Lord’s, the Mithali Raj-led Indian team suffered a heartbreaking nine-run loss despite finding themselves in a dominant position during their chase of the 229-run target.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsIndia had also been outplayed by Australia in the final of the 2020 T20 World Cup at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Dealing with a different kind of pressure after their triumph over Australia
Harmanpreet and Co, however, enter Sunday’s final at Navi Mumbai’s DY Patil Stadium on the back of a stunning victory over the Aussies at the same venue. India, after all, had chased down a mammoth target of 339 with more than an over to spare – breaking the record for the highest successful chase in women’s ODIs in the process.
And since that victory Harmanpreet and her teammates are dealing with a different kind of pressure – that of demands for match tickets, something that women cricketers in India aren’t quite as used to compared to the men.
“You know how it is. There are rarely a few days when there’s pressure for these things,” the India skipper revealed on the eve of the final. “I think it’s good that not only (there is pressure related to) cricket but there is pressure for tickets also.
‘We didn’t shake up even once in the team’
The Women in Blue almost did not qualify for the knockouts. After defeating co-hosts Sri Lanka and arch-rivals Pakistan in their first two matches, India had suffered a hat-trick of defeats against South Africa, Australia and England.
And in her interaction with the press, Harmanpreet revealed that the Women in Blue avoided making sweeping changes to the side after the hat-trick of losses.
Also Read | How Muzumdar’s ‘hair-dryer’ moment and a bond of trust took India from the brink to the World Cup final
“We didn’t shake up even once in the team because even though we lost three big losses, even after that everyone was together and we were all saying that we still have a great opportunity to reach to the finals,” she said.
“That was a positive mindset that helped us to reach to the finals when your team has such a positive mindset and everyone wants to play, to do good for the country and win the World Cup.”
“We were definitely talking about what we wanted to improve, but at the same time, we were all looking at the same goal. This (reaching the final) is a long process, there are ups and downs. Some teams win, some lose. But at the end of the day, it’s about how we reach the end,” she added.
Harman says ’excitement is different’ with two new teams in the World Cup final
Harmanpreet, who had scored 89 off 88 deliveries in the semi-final triumph, added that it was refreshing to see two teams other than Australia and England in a Women’s World Cup final, and looked forward to the rematch against the Proteas – who had defeated them by three wickets in Visakhapatnam during the group stage.
Not only have South Africa never won the World Cup before, it’s also the first time they’ve reached the final of the elite tournament.
“It’s good that there are two different teams. We have seen Australia dominating world cricket for so many years and England was also on that stage. The excitement is different,” Harmanpreet said.
“No doubt they (South Africa) have played very well (good) cricket even though their start was not that good. The way they came back to this tournament, I think that’s outstanding to watch. I think it’s a very balanced side.
“We know that they have good bowling attack and at the same time there is a lot of depth in batting,” she added.
The ICC Women's World Cup final between India and South Africa gets underway at 3 pm IST on Sunday, with toss taking place half-an-hour earlier. And with n
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