Harmanpreet Kaur Makes Big Olympic Claim After India Defend Asian Games Cricket Gold
Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur on Tuesday hoped that India's gold medal victory in the Asian Games women's cricket competition will open the floodgates for the country in the continental showpiece.
Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur on Tuesday hoped that India's gold medal victory in the Asian Games women's cricket competition will open the floodgates for the country in the continental showpiece. India beat Sri Lanka by 147 runs to defend the title they had won in the previous edition in China in 2023. "It feels good to get a gold medal. For any athlete, it's a dream. Our team has opened the gate for gold medals. The more gold medals India wins, the better for us," Harmanpreet told reporters. "We are going back (to India) tomorrow. But, we will definitely follow (other events)," she added.
Harmanpreet said the single-point agenda of her team was to retain the gold.
"It's a big thing for me, and for the team (to win gold). Since we came here, we had only one aim -- to take the gold medal from here. We want to see our flag fly high and the national anthem sung.
"But, we didn't know we would be the first ones to get a gold medal. I am sure the other athletes will win a lot of gold medals."
The 37-year-old said the team had come with an open mind to Japan despite the possibility of a lack of proper facilities.
"We came with a very open mind. We didn't know what would happen and what wouldn't. The day we came here, we saw the ground facilities. We saw the hybrid pitch and everyone was relaxed.
"We read in the news that the ground is not of that level. I think it's good to see that there were no injuries and that means the conditions were good. If you see, a high-scoring match was also going on. At the same time, it was also helping the bowlers. So, the wicket was made accordingly and I think they gave the best they could."
The experienced batter was overall satisfied with the ground and other facilities.
"The moment we got to know that the (Asian Games) venue is Japan, we knew that this country is not much known for cricket. So, we knew it was possible that the facilities are not the best in the world. But knowing Japan, we knew that they would manage something and try to provide good facilities.
"I think the ground facilities were good. We were playing on a hybrid pitch. We had a lot of experience as we're coming from England where we played a lot of matches on hybrid pitches. So, we knew how the pitch could behave. We adjusted our game accordingly. I know the other facilities were not of that level, but still they managed really well."
Harmanpreet said the team was determined to focus on what they could control.
"But we enjoyed the game, rather than just thinking about the stadium and facilities. Those things are not under our control. We can control our game and how we want to play the match. We were just thinking about those things, rather than how many facilities there are, what level they are at, and what they are not. So, we didn't focus much on those things," she said.
Asked where the Asian Games victory ranks in terms of achievements, she said, "As cricketers, we always wanted to be part of the Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and Olympics because we have always participated in bilateral series, the World Cup and the Asia Cup.
"But we didn't know how it feels when you play for a medal. We didn't have much experience of those things. But thankfully, we got a chance to play in the last two editions. Before us, so many cricketers came, but they didn't get that chance. I am sure in future, facilities-wise, stadium-wise and crowd-wise, these things will improve."
Harmanpreet was delighted to have the chance to keep the gold medal at home.
"And now, at least we can also frame two medals back home because when we win trophies, they go to the (BCCI) office. They don't come back to us. But this is something which belongs to us," she said in a lighter vein.
Asked how the Asian Games triumphs will help India win a gold medal at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, she said, "As I said, we know that facilities-wise, we can't control many things. But on the pitch, the sooner we adapt, the more it will help us.
"We know that cricket is not that famous in LA. They will also try to give whatever best they can. Our focus will be on the game and how we can do our best in those conditions. We will try to adapt accordingly," she said.
Talking about the men's team winning by just two runs against Japan in a one-off bilateral match in Sano, she said, "I think if they also come here (for the Asian Games) with an open mind, it will be better for them. They were playing in Delhi, which was a very good batting track, and suddenly they had to come here and play (on Tuesday).
"It was a little helpful for us because when we were playing in Dubai (in the Asia Cup), the pitch was a little tough for the batters to score runs. So, I think we got an advantage from that when we played here.
"But I can't tell them (the men's team) much. They have been playing cricket for a long time. They know the conditions better than me," she said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
India Women