With a massive trophy by her side, and with an even bigger smile on her face, आपली कर्णधार, Harmanpreet Kaur arrived at the post-match press conference. And on expected lines, people couldn’t get enough of her. And why would they, she after all is the newest CHAMPION. Here are the excerpts from the chat.

On her and Mumbai Indians’ journey in the WPL

I was quite positive the moment we reached Mumbai. Everybody was only talking about what we must do and how to do it. The whole squad was very positive. We were only talking about winning the moments. We were not thinking about winning the trophy but winning the moments. I should give credit to the players to the support staff. The team meetings and discussions, everything were spot on. 

On how it feels to cross the finish line and get the trophy

Feels great to be on the winning side. Many times we (India) were there but were not able to make it. Here the scenario is different, the tournament is different, the teams are different, and every team is so balanced. I think one important thing for our team was being there for each other and supporting each other. I really enjoyed the team atmosphere. 

How it feels to be in a happy post-match press-conference with the trophy

Personally, I have been waiting for this moment for a long time. I am happy that as a captain, I can win something so important for women’s cricket. I want to carry the winning momentum to the next season as well.

On her dismissals in the last two matches

Both of them were quite disappointing. In the last match also, I was very confident. We had wickets in hand, and I thought we would put up a good score. But today was totally different. Nat was there. She was well-settled. And then we had Amelia, who has been in good touch in this tournament. Apart from them, we had Pooja and Wong. We were quite positive. We thought we would finish this game with one or two overs to spare. But after I got out, we decided to play according to the situation.  

On the Charlotte Edwards effect

Since day one, she has been very positive. She studied well about all the players. The plan for everybody was on paper. We didn’t think about other teams. But we did discuss our opposition’s weak points. However, we concentrated more on ourselves. During her playing days, she was a star player, a WC winner, and an experienced captain. So as a captain, I had to just listen to her. In the team meeting, she often used to say, “I have to play. She is not going to play anymore.” Being a part of our team, she was very special to us all.  

On working with mentor Jhulan Goswami

It was a different experience. I had always seen her as a player. In my early days, she was leading us (India). Her involvement in the game is still the same. We never thought about her as a mentor. She was chilled out. She was always out there for our domestic players. Also, as a bowling coach, she was great. During our practice sessions, she was continuously talking to our bowlers. Her experience and approach helped us in this tournament.

On the ups and downs in the last week

We thought we might not have to play the Eliminator when we were the table-toppers. But then, as we lost those two matches, we wanted to regain our momentum. I think that worked in our favour, as we got a match to play before the final. I think that was good for us. When you play after a long break, it is sometimes hard to regain momentum. The match against UP Warriorz gave us good momentum.

How the mood off the field was

The mood off the field was very positive. From day one, everyone believed that we had a strong side. We can beat any team any day. So we were just focusing on our game plan.

On Nat Sciver-Brunt’s performance

If you look at Nat, she always plays good cricket. Since the day this team was formed, we were only talking about getting more all-rounders in the side. Having all-rounders gives a balance to your team. Not only Nat, I think if you look at Amelia’s performance, she was always there for the team. Wong was also outstanding. Indian players may not have got too many opportunities. But if you talk about fielding, they were always there. They knew that even if they didn’t get the chance to bat or bowl, there was still one department in which they could contribute to the team. All the players were ready to do anything for the team. 

On the learnings for the domestic players

Our overseas players were continuously talking to the domestic players. Matthews was outstanding. She spoke to each and every player and discussed cricket with them. I think it was a very big opportunity for all our domestic players to learn. I am sure they must have learnt a lot.

On the areas the domestic players should work on

How to keep calm in a pressure situation and do well for your team – that is something you need to learn. Otherwise, skill-wise, I don’t think anybody is inferior because everybody is working so hard. Even in fitness, they are doing so well. 

On the Indian domestic players who have impressed her

I think Shreyanka (Royal Challengers Bangalore) was really good. Kanika (Ahuja) was good too. Though Jinti did not get many opportunities in the matches, she did well in the nets. She has a good variety of balls – she can bowl bouncers, cutters, etc. I hope we will again play together in the same team next year.

On MI’s bowling performance in the final

Whenever we were bowling, we knew that we could bowl out any team. Our bowlers had their plans, and they stuck to them. I think we got so many wickets in the tournament because our bowlers were never in two minds. So you always get results when you go out there with a clear mind. 

On how important this win is for her personally

Meg Lanning has been doing well for her country for so many years. Here we had a different scenario and different teams. For me, it was important to get everyone together and make them understand why they were here and what best they could do for their team. Also, the training and practice together ahead of the tournament helped a lot. Our support staff allocated every player her role and what she could do best for the team. 

On MI’s chase in the final

At first, we thought that the wicket was really good to bat on. But gradually, the ball was not coming onto the bat nicely, especially when the slower bowlers were bowling. I think they (Delhi Capitals) bowled very smartly. They were not giving us any loose balls. It was important for us to keep wickets in hand, especially after losing the first two wickets early. The partnership between me and Nat was crucial. We didn’t do anything extra. We just reacted to the ball and were able to get those runs which we needed. I think when you have wickets in hand, you can change the situation of any match. 

On how much this win will help her

I was waiting to win a big tournament. I want to share whatever I have learnt through this tournament with my (India) teammates, and I hope that will help them too.

On Shikha Pandey and Radha Yadav’s performance 

I was very happy with how they were batting, to be honest (smiles). I always used to tell Radha that you don’t have to look for singles. You can hit sixes. After the match, I told her I want to see you bat the same way for India. And yes, she has bowled brilliantly throughout the tournament. 

On how important is this win for her as a cricketer

The turning point for me as a cricketer was in 2016 when I was going to play WBBL for the first time. I travelled alone, and I did everything alone. During that time, I learnt a lot. I wanted to do something different. I wanted to improve myself and bring back learnings for my India teammates. After that, we did well in the 2017 World Cup. When I was there (playing WBBL), I saw how they trained and what their mindset was. The approach of many (Indian) players has changed after I told them about all these things.