MUMBAI: Whatever the situation, India skipper Harmanpreet Kaur makes sure that her intensity, and the intent, never fades away. And the youngsters in the team are feeding off that, blossoming under her tutelage as the Indian team turns a new leaf for women’s cricket in the country.
With seniors Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami hanging their boots in the last few years, Harman has rubber-stamped her style on the team, and it can be seen in their performances.
At 34, having spent 15 years in international cricket, she is wiser, shrewder and more importantly has learnt to channelise her rage in the right direction.
Coach Amol Muzumdar is just two months into his job as the coach but he has seen from close quarters the influence she wields on the psyche of the team.
Muzumdar calls her the “glue of the team”.
“They all rally around her. They look up to her for inspiration. She has been a very inspirational figure in the dressing room for a number of years and she carries that aura. She shares a lot of knowledge and experience with the youngsters who are coming in. She is in a league of her own,” said Muzumdar on Wednesday.
In a short time, the skipper and the coach developed a nice bond. So how did Muzumdar break the ice with Harman?
“We had honest conversations and that must have broken the ice. I have been very honest in my cricketing discussions that we have had, the suggestions have been welcomed at the same time. We have had a lot of discussions off the field regarding how we must get it right and sometimes that decision comes out right,” said Muzumdar.
