Can the mighty Harmanpreet Thor wield her Mjolnir to stop the Australian juggernaut again?
If you've gone through Thor's arc in the Marvel cinematic universe, you know that the God of Thunder seems rather helpless without his hammer, Mjolnir. Situations, responsibilities, and the challenging villains (opponents), all took their toll on the Son of Odin looking lost before he found his mojo again, eventually helping the Avengers defeat the inevitable Thanos.
For those who don't know, Harmanpreet Kaur (aka Harmanpreet Thor) is the lead protagonist in this story. Thanos is the inevitable Australian side that keeps defeating everyone that stands in their way. The protagonist has emerged triumphant against these opponents in the semifinals once more before (like Thor did in Infinity War). However, things are different this time with a different ending hopefully in store for India (the Endgame).
Enough with the movie references, for now. Let's talk about some cricket. The all-rounder from Moga produced a knock for the ages with will go down in folklore, scoring 171 against Australia at the World Cup in 2017. Having been trusted with the responsibility of leading the side in the shortest format, Harmanpreet hasn't been able to replicate the same kind of form in T20s. Most batters would have been happy to have 3006 runs at an average of 27.83 and a strike rate of 106.22. Those numbers seem a tad underwhelming when you associate them with Harmanpreet though. They simply don't do justice to the Indian captain's talent.
171* runs💥 171* runs
💥 115 balls
💥 20 fours
💥 7 sixes
#OnThisDay in 2017, Harmanpreet Kaur recorded the highest individual score by an Indian batter in the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup! https://t.co/hPMJu1ROyo
The strike rate, more so than anything else, is the real concern in the shortest format. While there are a few batters who can build their innings better than the 33-year-old in ODIs, the same isn't the case for T20s. Like most classic batters, Harmanpreet likes to take some time to get her eye in before teeing off to access the array of strokes she has in her bag. So naturally, her strike rate has become a cause for concern, especially at the start of her innings.
The template she follows is not far off from what gave Virat Kohli a lot of success in the shortest format. The issue with that is, if the batters don't manage to tee off after taking their time, they've essentially contributed in a negative manner to their side. Kohli has been under the scanner for the same issue in recent history, and the same can be said for Harmanpreet. The template has worked for both batters, but with the evergrowing demands of the format, the reality is that everyone has to keep up.
Time for Harmanpreet Kaur to leave the template behind
At the ongoing T20 World Cup, the Indian captain created history by becoming the first Indian player to play 150 T20Is. She is also the only Indian women's cricketer to have a century to her name in the shortest format, producing a sensational knock against New Zealand in 2018. That innings, in many ways, was the template she would want to find in T20s. She scored only four singles from the first 10 balls she played in that innings, before unleashing to finish with 103 off 51 deliveries.
She showed her class at the Women's Big Bash League (WBBL) in 2021, becoming the Player of the Tournament for her all-round performances with the Melbourne Renegades. She scored 399 runs at a strike rate of 135.25 in 11 innings, and also took 15 wickets at 20.4 with her off-spin. While her contributions with the ball have been scarce in recent times, she's still got plenty to offer with the bat.
Even in that tournament, her approach towards building an innings usually remained the same. Harmanpreet would take 15-20 balls to get herself set before unleashing on the opponents, wielding the willow like Mlojnir summoning lightning and thunder. The slow approach was based on the needs of the side, which has also been the case for the Women in Blue with a lack of firepower in the middle order. With Harmanpreet being the only big hitter in the side in a middle order that consisted of Taniya Bhatia and Deepti Sharma, an approach that minimized the risk often made sense for the Moga all-rounder.
That's not the case with the Indian side anymore though. Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana can get the side off to flying starts, with Deepti Sharma also improving her numbers at the backend of the innings. The most notable presence in the middle order, though, is 18-year-old Richa Ghosh. The power-hitter from Siliguri has a strike rate of 135.56 in her T20I career and is amongst the top three in the world in terms of strike rate in the last year or so. She has shown an incredible (like the Hulk) ability to finish games on multiple occasions, even against the mighty Australians in the recent T20I series last year.
With two power-packed players in the side, albeit different in their own way, one would assume that the Indian batters would have more license to thrill. Reality is often disappointing, though. The contrasting approach from both batters has meant that India are back to square one, even with two super players, Thor and the Hulk, on their side.
While the two can argue about who the strongest Avenger might be, Thanos knows that they're a threat to him if they click together. If you haven't connected the dots yet, Australia will be weary of the possibility of Harmanpreet and Richa combining to take the game away from them, especially in a run chase.
With enough firepower in the Indian ranks now, the captain can let the shackles loose and go out there to impose herself in the middle. That should have been the approach when she strode out to bat at number three in the final group-stage game against Ireland. However, she struggled for a painstaking 20-ball 13 in that innings, failing to inject some impetus in the middle overs, which is something her side desperately needs.
Although form hasn't been on her side, there's a sense of expectation. And that's the thing about Harmanpreet Kaur. She has the superhero-like ability to turn up when the stakes are at their highest, and you can never count her out. And if Australia make that mistake, it will be their own peril. For if lightning strikes twice, the reign of the defending champions might be over.