Playing With Boys Helped Me Develop Six-Hitting Skills, Reveals Harmanpreet Kaur

Harmanpreet Kaur‘s extraordinary power-hitting in the recently-concluded World Cup is surely one of the biggest positives for India. The right-handed batswoman had begun the tournament in a lukewarm fashion but hit the top-gear when the team needed her the most. After managing just 77 runs in the first 6 matches, the 28-year old roared back to form in the do-or-die clash against New Zealand, scoring 60 to help India win the match by a whooping margin of 186 runs.

And in the following game which was the semifinal against defending champions Australia, the Punjab-born star showcased her true potential by playing a majestic knock of 171 runs off just 115 deliveries. The stunning knock, which has been compared with Kapil Dev‘s legendary knock of 175 in the 1983 World Cup, was studded with 20 fours and 7 gigantic sixes.

Back in the country now, Harmanpreet, on Wednesday (July 26), revealed the secret that has helped her to inculcate the six hitting ability. She said that has got her aggressiveness because of playing with boys in her childhood.

“I like to bat in that way since childhood, I have learnt to play that way and played cricket with boys, who used to hit sixes and I liked hitting sixes,” she said.

“I have played knocks like that in domestic cricket, I got chance in international but never made a long score. That match was telecast and people saw it, we had the hunger to win that match and I was happy that I played that knock when the team needed and the team won,” said added.

She was looking in her elements in the final too and had raced away to 51 with the help of 3 fours and a couple of sixes but got out against the run of play when her well-timed slog sweep went straight into the fielder’s hand. Her dismissal turned out to be decisive as England won the final by 9 runs.

Recalling the match, she said: “In the final, we needed runs and I was going for runs, I played the shot thinking it will be fully covered, but it went into the fielder’s hand. I was very disappointed.“