Follow UsCometh the pressure, cometh Harmanpreet Kaur. The Indian skipper showed why there are very few cricketers like her under pressure, with a crucial run-a-ball 70 against England in the Women’s ODI World Cup, on October 19 (Sunday).
Prior to this clash, Harmanpreet couldn’t really convert her starts, with scores of 21, 19 and 9 in the three innings that she batted. But on Sunday, she silenced all the doubters with a top-notch knock where she was at her free-flowing best, finding boundaries at her own will.
Harmanpreet formed a critical 100+ run partnership with Smriti Mandhana, where both batters put the pressure back on England. In particular, it looked like Harmanpreet had very few chinks in her armour on the day, taking on every bowler head-on, making England skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt sweat profusely.
However, in a bid to keep the attacking momentum going, Harmanpreet sliced a ball straight to the short third fielder. However, she had already inflicted more than enough damage. In the process, she brought up her eighth fifty-plus score in the Women’s ODI World Cup and went pass the 1000 run mark.
The 36-year-old became only the second Indian batter to amass 1000 runs in the competition, joining the legendary Mithali Raj.
1000-plus runs in Women’s WC
1501 - Debbie Hockley (NZ-W)
1321 - Mithali Raj (IND-W)
1299 - Janette Brittin (ENG-W)
1231 - Charlotte Edwards (ENG-W)
1208 - Suzie Bates (NZ-W)
1151 - Belinda Clark (AUS-W)
1021* - Harmanpreet Kaur (IND-W)