"We Were Manifesting": Harmanpreet Kaur Reveals How BCCI's Move Inspired India's Glory
Harmanpreet Kaur etched her name in the history books after becoming the first India captain to lift the Women's World Cup title.
Harmanpreet Kaur etched her name in the history books after becoming the first India captain to lift the Women's World Cup title. India beat South Africa by 52 runs in a rain-hit final at Dr DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Sunday. After the final, Harmanpreet revealed that the change in venue for the final from Bengaluru to Navi Mumbai raised their spirits and motivated them to go all in for the trophy, since they had a decent record at the venue.
"As soon as we came to know that our venue was the DY Patil Stadium, we all got so happy because we have always played good cricket here," Harmanpreet said after the final.
"And the biggest thing was that the crowd here is always good and they are very supportive. So, when the venue changed from Bangalore, we all started messaging in the group. We were manifesting. We said, 'The final is going to be there, we won't leave it now.' As soon as we reached Mumbai, we said, 'We've come home now, and we'll start fresh.' We didn't want to look back at previous World Cups; we left them there. The new World Cup had just started," she added.
Although the ICC did not divulge the exact reasons for removing Bengaluru as one of the venues for the tournament, the change was, in all likelihood, forced by the Karnataka State Cricket Association's inability to get the necessary approvals to host the games.
The Chinnaswamy Stadium had been declared incapable of hosting big events following an inquiry into the stampede during Royal Challengers Bengaluru's IPL victory celebrations earlier this year.
In the final, India, who were put into bat, posted 298/7 on the board, helped by a century partnership between Smriti Mandhana (45) and Shafali (87) and a late push from Richa Ghosh (34) and Deepti Sharma (58) towards the end.
A stunning, back-to-back knockouts ton from skipper Laura Wolvaardt (101) kept the Proteas in the hunt till a surprise spell from Shafali and a clutch five-wicket haul by Deepti Sharma (5/39) dismantled their middle-order, bundling out South Africa for 246 runs. Shafali earned the 'Player of the Match' award.
(With ANI Inputs)
India Women
South Africa Women