Harmanpreet Kaur had led a team with newbies—with no experience of playing in an ICC tournament before—to the 2020 Women’s T20I World Cup final. Relaxing at her home in Moga, Punjab, Kaur has had time to think about what went right and wrong for her team. Speaking exclusively with THE WEEK, the Indian skipper says that the gains from the World Cup weigh more than the losses. Excerpts:
Q/ How will you sum up the Indian team's World Cup campaign?
A/ It was a very good experience for our team overall. It was a young team, low on experience. Despite that everyone was so keen, giving their best. It was a total team performance, except [for] the final. In the final we had a few lapses, but had we created those opportunities, the result would surely have been different. Our self-confidence as a team has really gone up, given our performance through the tournament. Previously we did not have self-belief. This World Cup showed that we are no less than anyone.
Q/ You mentioned the lapses. Was it just fielding lapses or was it that Australia came hard at India in the final?
A/ I think that was not our day. Nothing went in our favour. No doubt, the Australian team is very good. But we gave them hard competition in the tri-series before the World Cup. I do not think we lost because of the catches dropped or the 90,000-strong crowd at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Throughout the tournament we had got very good support. Our girls, too, wanted a full house for the finals. The first few lapses and not grabbing the chances early on cost us.
Q/ How did you manage the young players in the team?
A/ The whole team was so excited from day one of the World Cup. We did not get a semifinal match [because of rain], but in our practice—both indoors and outdoors—before the final, we were very focused. No one was feeling any pressure. Winning the first match of the tournament gave us a lot of confidence. The bowlers won us the match defending a low score. Before that we used to think that we needed to put big runs on the board for our bowlers to defend. But our bowlers won so many matches for us. There was a positive vibe in all departments—we had grown as a team.
Q/ You were part of the team that played the 2017 ODI World Cup final, too. At the personal level, how disappointing was it to lose yet another final?
A/ Disappointment is there, yes. But the manner in which the team has grown has been satisfying for me. I know results matter in sports. But for us we look more at our efforts than the results. I know the difference it would have made [to women's cricket in India].
We have played so many World Cup matches before, but never before [have] we played like a unit like we did here. I enjoyed this tournament more than any previous one, even though my own batting was not great.
Q/ There is a view that you may be feeling the pressure of captaincy and it reflects on your batting.
A/ From outside it may look like that, but personally I have never felt so. I really enjoy this part. I feel more involved. The captaincy keeps me alert all the time. Earlier, I used to think about my performance alone. Captaincy has made me a better person. [ Now,] I cannot think only about myself, but [have to think] of other things, too.
Q/ How challenging was it for you to handle youngsters like Shafali Verma and Taniya Bhatia?
A/ I never felt I am leading young girls. I never had to go to them to make them understand their game plan. They had their own game plans ready. All I had to do was to keep them together.
Q/ The manner in which the team lost the final must have been traumatic for the team, especially for youngsters.
A/ It was heartbreaking for all, not just the youngsters. But they learnt a lot from their first World Cup. At the end of the tournament we had a team meeting discussing what each one needs to do more, so that in forthcoming tournaments we do not lose, because of our current shortcomings.
Q/ Which are the areas we need to plug urgently?
A/ Our spinners have been performing very well, our top order is performing, but the team’s fitness and fielding are two areas we need to focus a lot more on.
Definitely we need someone coming in after me and batting. We are working on that. Sometimes you need to have patience. Shafali got a proper chance in this World Cup, [and she] performed, Richa Ghosh is promising and suitable in the middle order slot after me. We need to give them some time.
Q/ The 2021 T20 World Cup is in New Zealand. Can we depend so much on spinners in those conditions?
A/ Cricket-wise definitely not. But we need to look at our strengths and weaknesses. We do need two medium pacers, especially when there are two set batters in the middle. At present, spin is our strength. Had we focused on grooming medium pacers a year or two back, we would not have had to depend so much on spin.
We definitely need three medium pacers in the side. But we also need to see if they are good enough. We need to look more on the existing talent in the medium pace department. Hopefully in the next one or two years we will have them ready.
Q/ What is it that India needs to do to plug the gap with the top two teams—Australia and England?
A/ Just the fitness. In these two countries fitness is part of their culture. Unfortunately, in India we start these things late. For the last three years the girls have been working hard on fitness. It does not improve overnight, we need to work on it for longer durations. Earlier, we would come close to these teams and lose, but now we are winning matches against them. Skill-wise we are better batters and bowlers than these two countries.