Harmanpreet optimistic to pass World Cup benchmark after a match-winning century against England in the 3rd ODI.
Harmanpreet: India hoping to ‘pass that benchmark’ in time for ODI World Cup.
Before Harmanpreet Kaur got her maiden run, the first of 102 that would create the groundwork for India’s series-winning victory over England and set a precedent ahead of the home ODI World Cup, she was counting down the ten balls.
Although it started slowly, Harmanpreet was on her way after hitting the boundary with a stunning cover drive off Linsey Smith on the eleventh ball she faced at Chester-le-Street in the third and final ODI.
Harmanpreet scored her maiden century in 13 innings, although it was also her sixth in ODIs. Her highest score in either of the white-ball series against England had been 26 since she scored 54 in the warm-up match against an ECB Development XI at the beginning of the tour.
“In all the matches I wanted to give my best in batting but today’s game was very important to us,” she said. “The plan was to spend some time on the wicket and then see how things go. That really worked for me.
“The first [ten] balls, I didn’t get any runs but then I was just talking to myself: ‘I’m not going to lose myself, just be there, be there for the team’.”
India’s all-around batting effort, which included an 18-ball 38 from Richa Ghosh, 45 from Mandhana and Harleen Deol, and 50 from Jemimah Rodrigues, who put up 110 runs for the fourth wicket with Harmanpreet, was also pleasing.
With one ball left, England was bowled out for 305, 13 runs short of setting a world record in the run-chase, thanks to the efforts of 21-year-old seamer Kranti Goud, who was playing her sixth match for India. Goud took 6 for 52. In women’s ODI cricket, Goud became the second-youngest player from India to capture five wickets, after Deepti Sharma.
“She’s been really impressing whenever she was on the field and bowling for the team,” Harmanpreet said of Goud. “I’m really happy the kind of bowling she did today and whenever we needed a breakthrough, she was there for the team.”
“Today was a totally different situation and different pitch, different atmosphere, in home conditions it will be different,” she said. “But whenever you win, that can always give you a positive mindset and keep you in a good place.
“This series definitely will give us a lot of confidence but, again, when we go back, we have to start again from ball one”