Harmanpreet Kaur (Screengrab)
Harmanpreet Kaur struggled to hold back her emotions after producing a stunning comeback with the bat, smashing an unbeaten 91 off just 41 balls against Zimbabwe in the third and final T20I. The former India captain's emotional moment came during an innings-break interview, when she reflected on her return to form and thanked those who had backed her through a difficult period.The 37-year-old, who stepped down as India's captain across formats earlier this month, had gone 10 matches without a half-century. Her struggles with the bat had continued through the Women's T20 Asia Cup and the Asian Games, even as India went on to win both tournaments comfortably.
But against Zimbabwe, Harmanpreet looked a different batter, finding her rhythm and striking the ball with authority. Her unbeaten knock featured 10 fours and five sixes, with several powerful hits down the ground.As she spoke to the host broadcaster at the break, the 37-year-old became emotional and struggled to hold back her tears."It feels great. Just wanted to enjoy myself, and great that I got some time in the middle and really enjoyed myself on the field," she said.During the conversation, Harmanpreet also acknowledged former India women's team head coach WV Raman, who was part of the broadcast, for his words of encouragement.
"I just wanted to bat as long as possible, and glad that I was able to do that. I think I should give credit to you also (to WV Raman)."The moment we came, you stepped in and you said, 'Now you do what you want to do,' and that's what I want to do, and really want to enjoy myself. Thanks for those words."Harmanpreet said stepping down as captain had eased the pressure on her, allowing her to focus on enjoying her time in the middle."I don't think there is any pressure anymore. Now it's all about going out there and enjoying myself on the field, and that's exactly what I want to do," she said.She also credited the time spent working in the nets after the Asian Games, thanking batting coach Himanshu Chawla for helping her prepare for the innings."After the Asian Games, I got some time in the nets. I really want to thank Himanshu bhaiya, who's been working really hard on me, and today's batting was all him."The knock marked Harmanpreet's first half-century since beginning her stint as a non-captain. Her unbeaten 91 was also the second-highest individual score by an Indian batter at No. 4 or lower in Women's T20Is, behind her own 103 against New Zealand at Providence during the 2018 T20 World Cup.
Speaking at the post-match presentation, Harmanpreet explained how an early boundary helped her assess the conditions and play with greater confidence."I think I hit the (second) ball for four, and that was when I realised it was a good pitch where the ball was coming on nicely to the bat. I gained a lot of confidence from that shot, so I just thought, 'Let me keep going and see how it goes'," she said.She added that continuing to work on her batting and repeating the processes developed in training would be crucial going forward."Batting is key for me, and I just want to keep working on it and repeating those processes in the nets. I really want to give credit to my batting coach (Himanshu Chawla), Manju bhaiya (Munish Bali), who have been working very hard with me and understand the kind of batting I can do."