By Humra Laeeq
Punjab-born Harmanpreet Kaur has become the face of India’s women cricket. At the age of 29, Kaur has revolutionised her image as a small town girl with sporty interests. Leading the women’s Twenty-20 team and playing as an all-rounder, Harmanpreet broke out of the stereotypes she faced in her youth and established herself as a world-famous cricket icon for Indian women’s cricket. Harmanpreet’s story is not unlike many of those women who have broken the proverbial glass ceiling to truly come out as a symbol of female achievement in a man’s world.
Sowing the seeds in childhood
Harmanpreet was born to volleyball and basketball player Harmandar Singh Bhullar, whose passion for sport rubbed off on the young gully player. Inspired by Virendra Sehwag at a young age, she was admitted to the Gian Jyoti School Academy under Coach Kamaldeesh Singh Sodhi. Her mantra was Virender Sehwag’s “see ball, hit ball“. The dream of joining an Indian women’s cricket team first came to her then and, before Harmanpreet could have imagined, she was climbing higher through the ranks. In 2009, at the age of 20, she found herself debuting at India’s T20 Women’s World Cup. At first glance, we would expect her career to have ironed out after she achieved worldwide glory. Yet, the real test of her abilities had only started then.
A journey of ups and downs
Facing cutthroat competition from her peers, Kaur was always motivated to establish herself as a unique figure. Knowing that tough competition exists, from Amita Sharma and Jhulan Goswami who had mastered lead bowling, Harmanpreet was pushed towards secondary status. However, her unbeaten ambition took advantage of the situation and she invested in developing her batting skills better than others.
She soon became a favourite player in times of crisis, building on her father’s suggestion that she be an off-spinner. Her most influential statement reflects this: ‘learning never stops.’ Mastering these lessons, Harmanpreet grounded herself firmly in her career. However, Harmanpreet did not just learn these skills, she refined them with emotional and psychological polishing. She incorporated the perfect balance of aggression and caution in her sport.
Since her debut, Harmanpreet has gone on to achieve even greater heights, captaining India at several international fronts. Harmanpreet’s debut in 2009 against arch-rival Pakistan at the 2009 Women’s T20 Women’s World Cup did wonders for her reputation. In June of the same year, she appeared in the ICC Women’s World World T20 in Taunton against England. Her skill at hitting the ball a long way gained her prominence while she was playing quick-fire innings of 33 in a T20I game in Mumbai in 2010. Two years later, her peers Amita Sharma and Mithali Raj were out because of injuries. Hence, she was made Indian women’s captain for the 2012 Women’s Twenty20 Asia Cup. The decision did not lead to a disappointment. Harmanpreet won the Asian Cup for India.
Building her fame
The real breakthrough for Harmanpreet came in the cricket season 2016-17. It started with Kaur helping India to win a series in Australia in January. In June 2016, she became the first Indian cricketer to be signed by an international franchise, Sydney Thunder, for the Women’s Big Bash League champions. Her 2016-17 session won her the franchise’s Player of the Tournament award for her all-around sportsmanship.
A few months later, the T20 captain made another first as the first Indian to sign up with the Surrey Stars. Her score of 171* (115) against Australia in 2017 is the second-highest score by an Indian batter in women’s ODI (one day international). Additionally, Kaur attained the highest individual score for India in women’s cricket World Cup history. In the same year, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports awarded her the Arjuna Award for Cricket. Single and career-focused, Harmanpreet Kaur has a luxurious life and is worth INR 52 lakh.
Harmanpreet moves beyond the confines of cricket
Harmanpreet Kaur’s journey, evidently, was not a smooth road. She has been through tests, faced high competition, endured hard work with patience and visited all over the world to carve a niche for herself. Where she did not fit in, she moved on. One quality she never lost was her resilience. Before she went on to become the face of Indian women’s cricket, she was employed by Indian Railways in 2014. On March 1, 2018, Harmanpreet was granted the position of Deputy Superintendent in the Punjab Police. The Railways sent the government a letter to convey its acceptance of Harmanpreet’s request to realise her dream of becoming a police officer. The Chief Minister, likewise, was proud to have the cricketer on board.
Indians are largely unaware of Harmanpreet Kaur’s story. The reason is that cricket is generally considered to be a male territory. This is especially true in India where people have an almost blood-tied relationship to the game. Generations of people have idolised Tendulkar, Kapil Dev and Nawab Pataudi.
It is hard to imagine a woman venturing into a male profession under the constraints of a patriarchal country. As a result, Harmanpreet is not as famous as many of her contemporary male cricketers like Virat Kohli or MS Dhoni, despite the fact that she has similar merits, nor does she receive equal public validation. Women’s sport, in general, has been relegated to a secondary status, not because of its supposed unworthiness, but because of a regressive popular mindset. Through studying examples of people like Harmanpreet Kaur, it is possible to provide inspiration for youngsters.
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