'I never look at my individual score when I'm batting. I only look at the team total.'
Rediff.com's Norma Godinho listens to Harmanpreet Kaur.
Up until her blazing innings of 171 against Australia in the ICC Women's World Cup semi-final, Harmanpreet Kaur was only known as one of the two Indian cricketers who play in Australia's Women's Big Bash League and the Kia Super League.
Before the semi-final, she had faced only 91 balls in five innings. She was batting down the order and the only score of relevance before that was a 60-run knock against New Zealand in the virtual quarter-final.
Harmanpreet's popularity soared after her super knock, but what we didn't know was that wonderful knock came despite an injury that the 28 year old was carrying.
"I was carrying a finger injury during the World Cup, but my team physio (Tracy Fernandes) helped me get better, she took care to ensure that I got better and it didn't affect my game or miss any match," Harmanpreet said in Mumbai on Wednesday.
"I credit her and she took care of me well during the World Cup."
That career-defining innings at Derby showed us not just her brutal power, but also brought to fore a bit of her temper.
Harmanpreet was on a century, and going for two runs in the 35th over, she was involved in a mix-up with her partner Deepti Sharma who was exposed at the non-striker's end.
Both batswomen made their respective grounds, but Harmanpreet was livid, and reacted rather strongly. Her action made Deepti shed a few tear.
Explaining the reason for her now infamous helmet-throwing bout of frustration during that game against Australia, Harmanpreet said, "I never look at my individual score when I'm batting. I only look at the team total."
"At that juncture, we had lost the wickets of Smriti (Mandhana) and Punam (Raut). I wanted to continue batting and build a partnership with Deepti."
"I didn't want us to lose another wicket. We did not want to lose the semis. That is why I was fuming, not because I would miss my century!"
