Success didn't come easy for Harmanpreet Kaur, says close friend Kavita
Kaur closely followed the Champions Trophy matches so as to prepare herself for the pitches in England
What's the story?
While the whole of India was busy congratulating Harmanpreet Kaur and the Indian women's cricket team for their brilliant run at the 2017 Women's Cricket World Cup, close friend Kavita revealed that the Indian vice-captain had worked incredibly hard behind the scenes to achieve the kind of success she got in England.
"Before leaving for England in July, she came to Pune and we practised together for almost 10 days," Kavita told the Times of India in an exclusive interview.
"While she was here, other than focusing on her own game, she keenly followed men's Champions Trophy as the games were played on the same wickets where the women's matches were scheduled. She took notes of the condition there and worked on her game accordingly," she added.
In case you didn't know...
After a slow start to the tournament, Harmanpreet scored a half-century in the decisive fixture against New Zealand that helped India gain a spot in the semi-finals where she produced one of the best knocks ever by a women cricketer, remaining unbeaten on 171 off 115 balls against defending champions Australia.
She produced yet another half-century in the heart-breaking loss to England in the final on Sunday and was deservedly named in the ICC team of the tournament alongside skipper Mithali Raj and Deepti Sharma.
The heart of the matter
The hard-hitting style of Kaur's batting did take many by surprise but it was something that Kavita expected having known her for many years and having also played alongside Kaur for Haryana.
Kaur scored 359 runs from 9 matches and also picked up 5 wickets en route India's dream run at the tournament which had the cricket mad nation cheering the women's cricket team like never before.
Kavita believes that making the move to Mumbai from Boga in Punjab where she was born and raised has helped Kaur completely change her lifestyle and made her more independent.
She recalls that Kaur used to wake up at 4:30 AM every day in order to train and make it to her workplace five hours later despite the hassles of travelling and the issue of managing food in a new city.
Kavita is incredibly proud that her friend has made the nation proud with her performances and is hopeful that the tournament serves as a catalyst for a change in the approach to women's cricket in India.
Extra Cover: Keep giving us love - Harmanpreet Kaur's heartwarming message for India
What's next?
Kavita and Kaur also work together for the Western Railways but after the latter's fantastic performances at the 2017 World Cup, it remains to be seen where Kaur ends up working with Punjab CM Capt Amarinder Singh offering her a DSP post in the state police force.
Interestingly, she was denied a job in Punjab Police in 2011, despite being a regular in the Indian team.
Author's take
Though Harmanpreet Kaur's big-hitting skills were not much of a surprise, having already recruited to play in the Australian Women's Big Bash League, she outdid herself with her crucial knocks in what were must-win games for the side.
She almost made it a perfect hat-trick of scores but was unable to help the side cross the line against England in the final. The tournament has been a game-changer as far as women's cricket is concerned in India and it is important that the momentum gets carried forward and that more support comes along the way for the women's game.