The chips were down, it was the Mighty Australia, the defending champions up ahead, things were not at all going in India’s favor and then walked in Harmanpreet Kaur to accompany her skipper Mithali Raj. She started off slowly and then after Mithali Raj was dismissed for 36 off 61 balls, something historic happened which can never be described in words.
She tonked the Australian bowlers on her will and whenever she wanted to hit a six, the ball crossed the boundary rope comfortably. Australian skipper Meg Lanning, who herself is one of the living legends of the game, was on her knees, distraught, devastated and clueless when Harmanpreet’s onslaught was going on.
India were struggling at 70/2 after 20 overs and this looked like another one of those occasions when the Aussies dismantled us, but Harmanpreet Kaur was so strong and powerful with her shots that no bowler had an answer. Ellyse Perry, Gardner, Jess Jonassen and Megan Schutt, this is one of the best bowling units in the world right now and everyone, each and everyone went for runs today.
She brought up her 50 in 64 balls and in the next 26 balls, she got to her hundred. She went nuts later on as she brought her next 50 in mere 17 balls and for the first time in my lifetime, I’ve seen the Australian women cricketers being tortured this way.
Harmanpreet Kaur finished at 171 in just 115 balls with 20 fours and seven massive, towering sixes. Who says our women are inferior to men? Who says our women can’t make us proud and who says women cant entertain on the field of cricket. Every cricket expert who had witnessed this innings will accept a fact that this is one of the best innings in total cricket, including men’s and women’s in recent times.
Such ferocity and audacity from Harmanpreet can rarely be seen these days in any cricketer and this knock will be remembered for a long long time to come.
