Harmanpreet on the high stakes levied on them ahead of Final as India prioritised recovery ahead of the Final.
Harmanpreet: ‘There is nothing bigger than this in our life as a cricketer’.
Harmanpreet Kaur appeared emotionless when she sat down for the pre-match press conference at the DY Patil Stadium. All that was present was a smouldering fire.
After India’s thrilling triumph against Australia in the semi-final, she broke down in tears. Just two nights ago was that. After defeating multiple World Cup winners, it took two nights to process the euphoria. It takes two nights to accept that the work is still incomplete.
This will be India’s third ODI World Cup final. South Africa was the first.
“Well, the semi-final was a very high-pressure game and very intense,” Harmanpreet said on the eve of the final against South Africa. “After that, recovery was something which we all paid more attention to because the fresher we are, mentally, for the final, the better it will be.
“Because we have been working hard for so many years and we have been batting day and night, whenever our batters camped or there were team camps. So, skill-wise we know we have done a lot and now it’s only about keeping ourselves fresh for tomorrow and recovery is something which we all talk about, and everybody is really taking that thing very seriously and hopefully tomorrow we will feel even fresher for the main game.
“Keeping yourself balanced and focused is something which is the key,” Harmanpreet said. “We are having those sessions where we have been talking about how we can be more focused and more balanced and at the same time keeping ourselves relaxed because this is the biggest stage and biggest opportunity for us, playing in home conditions and that also final match.
“But I think the most important thing is that we have to enjoy this because there is nothing bigger than this in our life as a cricketer and as a captain. So our focus is to enjoy this moment and keep taking small targets which we have to achieve as a team rather than thinking bigger targets because you can achieve bigger targets if you achieve the small targets.”
Although Harmanpreet is now participating in her fifth World Cup, this is her first as captain. After a wild league stage in which they won just three of their seven games, India has advanced to the final. “There’s no bigger motivation than a World Cup final” to improve their performance, she made plain.
“We know pretty well how it feels after losing [a World Cup final],” she said. “We’re really looking forward to the feeling of winning a final. Hopefully it’s going to be a special day for us tomorrow. We’ve worked really hard, and now it’s about getting everything together tomorrow.”