SHE SPOKE FOR MORE than an hour, but it was those few minutes when she had a bat in hand that Harmanpreet Kaur lit up the most. “Most people focus on balance and things like that, but for me, the bat handle is very important,” said the World Cup-winning captain as she twirled the weapon. “I use a semi-oval handle. If the handle is right, the rest automatically falls into place. Sometimes, I put tape under the grip or I use a double grip to adjust it. More than anything, the feel of the bat is important. Balance, grains and everything else come later.”
This was episode five of CEAT Beyond The Scoreboard—a podcast series where THE WEEK, in association with CEAT, peels back the curtain on India’s favourite sport. Kaur spoke to Ayaz Memon, consultant, sports, THE WEEK, about a range of topics, including batting across formats, how to captain a team in transition and what Sachin Tendulkar told her before the final of the 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup.
“There was only a two-day gap after the semifinal, after beating Australia, and [I had to] come out of that emotion,” she said. “And then suddenly, within a few hours, we had to prepare for the final [against South Africa]. Sachin sir called me. He said, ‘You have a very important match tomorrow.’ He just wanted to check how I was feeling emotionally, and what I was thinking as a captain. He spoke for almost an hour. He wanted to wish me luck, and at one point, he even said, ‘I hope I am not giving you too much information, but I still want to share what I am feeling right now.’ He was proud of the way we played in the semifinal—chasing 300-plus runs and setting an example for others. Then he spoke about playing a final—what the mindset should be, how to prepare, what he used to do in big games, etc.”
That semifinal was especially memorable for Kaur the batter. It was her partnership with Jemimah Rodrigues that sealed the historic win. And though the focus was on Rodrigues’s 127*, rightly so, Kaur’s measured 89 was the perfect supporting act. It was in contrast to her blistering 171*, also against Australia in the 2017 World Cup semifinal.
If that innings was brute power, the one last year was about patience and tactical awareness. And also power. It showed how Kaur had grown from being a six-hitter lower down the order to the one controlling the innings in the middle.
There has also been a parallel growth in the women’s game in India, and Kaur has been one of the constants in that journey. “In the past five–seven years, I have actually felt like a cricketer,” she said. “I have been able to focus only on the game. Before that, there was always a struggle going on, [and we had to think about] financial aspects or support systems.”
It’s freeing in a way, to be able to focus only on the cricket. Like the men do.
And it also bleeds into the performance. The Indian women now stand shoulder to shoulder with the best, be it the Australian women or even the Indian men. “They were like idols, and it didn’t feel easy to approach them,” she said. “But nowadays, I think, thanks to the Centre of Excellence, there is a good platform for all players, and that barrier has been broken.”
She spoke about how Suryakumar Yadav, the Indian men’s T20I captain, checked in during the World Cup. “When we lost three games back-to-back, Surya was continuously messaging me, trying to keep the atmosphere positive. He kept saying, ‘Don’t worry, captain.’”
As the game has grown, more women have come into the sport, and there have been efforts to make the setup more inclusive, she said. “In my early days, we were so scared of seniors that we couldn’t say anything—even if we had something valuable to contribute. The environment was like that. But new players might have insights that are important for the team. So it’s essential to give them that freedom and that voice. During camps, we make sure that everyone speaks. It’s compulsory for everyone to contribute, whether they have played one match or a hundred.”
Asked how much importance she gives to data as captain, Kaur said, “The game demands it. If you don’t use data, you won’t fully understand what’s happening—what the opposition is planning, how they are approaching you. It’s very important for improvement, and we’ve seen how it helps us evolve. We have team apps where all the information is available. If the players want, they can go check [their stats] out.”
Looking ahead, Kaur and her team have the T20 World Cup on the horizon. “My role is to give my best for as many years as I have left in cricket, and to keep improving,” she said. “It’s not just about winning one title—it’s about winning multiple titles. We’ve recently won a T20 series in Australia, which shows the depth of talent in this team. I’ve always believed this team has something special.”