Navi Mumbai: India captain Harmanpreet Kaur beamed with pride as her team made a dramatic entry into the Women’s ODI World Cup final. Their thrilling five-wicket victory against defending champions Australia in Navi Mumbai marked a historic moment, though Kaur quickly reiterated that the ultimate goal remains unconquered.
India pulled off a sensational and record-breaking chase of 339 runs, the highest ever in Women’s World Cup history. This monumental effort propelled them past a semifinal hurdle that had challenged them in previous tournaments. Harmanpreet herself played a pivotal role, scoring a fluent 89 runs off 88 balls. She forged a crucial 167-run partnership with the centurion, Jemimah Rodrigues, who contributed an outstanding 127 runs off 134 balls. Following this incredible performance, Kaur confirmed the team’s unwavering focus is now entirely on the upcoming final.
(Image: Harmanpreet Kaur)
“I am incredibly proud; words can hardly describe this feeling. We’ve finally crossed that line we’ve been striving for over so many years,” Harmanpreet expressed during the post-match presentation. “We’re ecstatic with this result, but we’ve already begun discussing the next game. This truly demonstrates our focus and our deep desire to win the World Cup.”
For Harmanpreet, playing in a home World Cup added an extra layer of significance to this achievement. “Competing in a home World Cup is truly special, and we’re eager to give back to our fans and families,” she shared. “There’s just one more game to go, and we promise to give it our absolute best.”
Kaur lavished praise on Jemimah Rodrigues, highlighting her mature and composed innings. “Jemimah is someone who consistently strives for the team’s success. She’s very calculative and always ready to take responsibility. We have immense trust in her abilities,” Harmanpreet noted.
“During our partnership, we complemented each other perfectly. She was constantly analyzing the game, keeping track of our scoring rate – ‘we got five runs, seven runs, two balls left’ – that shows her deep involvement. A lot of credit goes to her for maintaining her nerve under pressure.”
(Image: Jemimah Rodrigues after India reach Women’s World Cup final)
Reflecting on an earlier narrow four-run defeat to England in the tournament, Harmanpreet acknowledged that those lessons were vital in their semifinal approach. “In that match, we realized we hadn’t executed our plans effectively. We were perhaps two or three overs late in taking necessary risks, and that cost us dearly,” she recalled. “Today, we aimed to be precise, calculative, and ensure we finished the game before the 50th over.”