Harmanpreet the centre of attention again as Australia loom large in what is another clash of the titans in Navi Mumbai.
After Derby, Cape Town and Sharjah, what will Harmanpreet vs Australia bring us this time?
In the 2017 World Cup Derby semi-final, Harmanpreet Kaur did more than just win India a match as she destroyed Australia’s bowling with an incredible undefeated 171 off 115 balls. She broke through Australia’s façade of invincibility. It was the pivotal moment in Indian women’s cricket history and is still regarded as one of the best innings ever played in a knockout match.
Therefore, it should come as no surprise that one question has always lingered in the air whenever India and Australia have faced off in a worldwide competition: what would Harmanpreet accomplish this time?
That question still defines her eight years later. Harmanpreet and India’s World Cup journey has been filled with excruciating near-misses between Derby and Thursday’s semi-final in Navi Mumbai. Harmanpreet has taken central stage whenever these have involved Australia.
Her 52 was destined to be a career-defining innings in the T20 World Cup semi-final in Cape Town, as she batted through illness and put India up for what appeared to be a legendary chase. Up until a bizarre run-out in which her bat became lodged in the pitch. Harmanpreet covered her tears with sunglasses at the post-match presentation.
Then, in October 2024, India faced Australia once more in Sharjah, this time with a semi-final spot up for grabs. Harmanpreet, batting on 52 with India requiring 14, edged a single off the opening ball of the last over and watched helplessly as four wickets fell in the following five balls. India had failed again.
Since that 171*, Harmanpreet has continued to be a superb ODI batsman, averaging 38.73 and striking at 85.71, both of which are improvements over her career numbers. She has also scored five hundreds and thirteen fifties in eighty innings. However, the topic of Australia is nearly always brought up, since she seemed to save her most memorable ICC tournament performances for them.
Harmanpreet’s narrative now has an additional dimension thanks to leadership. She took over as India’s full-time white-ball captain in 2022, and since then, she has guided the team from a collection of talented but unfinished pieces to one with more battle-hardened depth than before, even though the ultimate reward has always appeared unattainable. Two games remain to earn that reward.
India’s performance in this World Cup has been inconsistent; following a strong start, they lost three straight games, all of which were close and therefore seen by outsiders as preventable and suggestive of tactical and temperamental flaws. The team’s balance was questioned. The attention surrounding Harmanpreet’s decision-making increased due to her own erratic form.
However, now that India is in the semi-finals, the feeling of occasion is greater than before. This is another opportunity, this time in a home World Cup, to break out from a pattern of tight defeats. This might be Harmanpreet’s last ODI World Cup at the age of 36. And maybe the last World Cup match against the opposition that has shaped her legacy.
The age-old question remains unanswered as India takes on Australia: what will Harmanpreet do?