Dubai: The Indian women’s cricket team has come in for effusive praise from all quarters following their emphatic win against Australia to enter the final of the ICC Women’s World Cup.
Player-of-the-match Harmanpreet Kaur hit an unbeaten 171 off 115 balls — the second highest score of the tournament — as India defeated the defending champions by 36 runs at Derby on Thursday.
Only her third ODI century, Kaur’s destructive innings contained 20 boundaries and seven sixes, as India set six-time champions Australia 282 to win in 42 overs in a rain-curtailed semi-final.
Last year, Kaur became the first Indian woman to play in the women’s Big Bash League in Australia.
Losing three wickets with just 21 runs on the board mid-way through the eighth over, it was Elyse Villane’s 75 and Alex Blackwell’s late surge with a 90 that kept Australia in the hunt. But Blackwell was clean bowled by Deepti Sharma as Australia were bundled out for 245 to hand India only their second entry into the final of the competition.
Much of the post-match accolades went to centurion Kaur. “That innings was out of this world. If you put it into context — against Australia, in a semi-final, to play at Lord’s — I don’t know how she’s played with that freedom and power. It was unbelievable hitting,” former England captain Charlotte Edwards remarked.
“That was the best innings I’ve ever seen and some of the best hitting you are going to see. She picked her gaps with ease, and such power,” she added.
“Hats off to Harmanpreet. It’s a great victory for the India women’s cricket team and for women’s cricket in India,” former team captain Diana Eduljee said on television.
“I thank the girls for the opportunity they have given to all women cricketers and the future of women’s cricket is now here to stay in India. I am sure this victory is going to be historic as we have already beaten New Zealand, Australia and England. I’d think the World Cup is already in India irrespective of whatever happens on Sunday,” she added.
Former captain Kapil Dev, who led India to their first-ever World Cup triumph way back in 1983, said that he was “filled with pride” at the achievement. The win comes as a timely boost with India in need of cricket cheer after the men caved in tamely against arch-rivals Pakistan in the Champions Trophy final last month.
Australia captain Meg Lanning was in awe of the Indian centurion. “The innings from Kaur was incredible, we couldn’t stop her and it was a very special effort in a high-pressure game so well done to India. Alex Blackwell was hitting it well at the end and we left her too much to do, but her knock was outstanding,” she remarked.
Indian skipper Mithali Raj too was all praise. “Harman’s innings was exceptional and the bowlers have done very well,” she said.
This is only the second time that India have made it to the final of the women’s World Cup after they were beaten by Australia at Centurion in 2005. They will now face England in a re-match of the tournament opener — where India beat the hosts by 35 runs — to decide who will lift the World Cup at Lord’s.
Raj expressed confidence her team was ready for the challenge in Sunday’s final. “Overall, this unit looks compact now, after losing we came back, and beating Australia is a huge achievement,” she said.
“We have players who are of international standard and someone stands up in every game. The top order is scoring when it is needed and [the] response from the bowling unit has been brilliant,” she added.
The 34-year-old Indian captain has been leading from the front as she is currently the second highest run-getter. Last week, she became the first batswoman to score 6,000 runs in one-day internationals, during the league game against Australia, surpassing the record previously held by England’s skipper Edwards (5,992).
Raj currently has a scoring average of more than 50 in the 185 ODIs and ten Tests she has played so far.
“We knew that this tournament wasn’t going to be easy, but the way the girls have turned up at every situation when the team needed, whether it was the batters or bowlers, this win has definitely changed the scenario in terms of how the girls will look up to the final,” she said.
