‘I will have to play something different to beat them’ – Harmanpreet Kaur picks 171* versus Australia as most memorable day on cricket field

Harmanpreet Kaur. (Source – BCCI)

Last week, it was the seventh anniversary of Harmanpreet Kaur’s epic century in the second semi-final of the 2017 Women’s World Cup against Australia. In a recent interview, the current Indian captain picked that superlative knock as her most memorable moment on a cricket field.

Harmanpreet put on a stellar show against the mighty Australians to mesmerize the fans who were present at the County Ground in Derby for the high-voltage encounter. In a rain-curtailed encounter, which was reduced to 42 overs per side, India smashed 281/4 on the back of the Punjab batter’s unbeaten knock of 171 off 115 balls. She amassed 20 fours and seven sixes during her innings and finished with an awe-inspiring strike rate of 148.69.

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Harmanpreet recalled one of her friends telling her before the match that India would win if she scored 150. The right-handed batter admitted that her friend’s opinion initially surprised her. However, later she understood that a special effort from her could help India beat the star-studded Aussies.

“On the field, in 2017, when I scored 171, that was something. I remember before that game, one of my friends told me, ‘We will win tomorrow only if you score 150 runs.’ I said, ‘150 runs? I have heard that you will score 100 runs, you will win tomorrow. 150, I mean, what is this demand, right? I will have to score 150 runs to win tomorrow.’ So that was stuck in my head for the whole night, and I kept thinking, ‘It’s the Australian team, so I will have to play something different to beat them,’ because they had such a strong team. So I think that was very special for me,” Harmanpreet said while speaking to Star Sports.

Mithali Raj-led India went on to win the match by 36 runs after dismissing Australia for 245 in 40.1 overs. Harmanpreet was fittingly adjudged Player of the Match for her whirlwind knock.

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The Indian team is currently playing in the ongoing Women’s Asia Cup 2024 in Sri Lanka. Under Harmanpreet’s leadership, the Women in Blue have already registered wins against arch-rivals Pakistan and the UAE. They are well on course to reach the semi-finals in the continental competition.

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