The skipper of the Mumbai Indians’ 30-ball 65 might very well be for the World Premier League what Brendon McCullum’s 158 was for the IPL in many respects.
The run-out that gave Australia the advantage in the Women’s T20 World Cup 2023 semifinal gave the impression that Harmanpreet wanted to let off steam.
Australians made up the entirety of the Gujarat Giants’ four-player overseas quota. The rationale itself was sufficient.
In the ninth over, with Mumbai at 69 for 2, Harmanpreet was placed in the middle. She witnessed Nat Sciver-Brunt, a set hitter, quit the game after partnering with Hayley Matthews for 54 runs; Matthews was also out in the following over, leaving Mumbai at 77 for 3. Ashleigh Gardner had made a name for herself after winning Player of the Series for the T20 World Cup.
To Harmanpreet, it didn’t matter. Like she has been doing for India for a very long time, she simply attacked the ball. She got underway thanks to a fortunate outside edge on a drive attempt before she perfectly timed a Sneh Rana ball into more cover.
But that was only the lead-in. Harmanpreet performed at her absolute best in the 12th over. And undoubtedly there were sweep shots throughoutu2014one through the back square leg and another through the front square leg. The bowler Georgia Wareham struggled to contain the runs.
With one ball striking hard through midwicket and the next paddling delicately past short fine, even Gardner felt the full force and range of Harmanpreet’s sweep.
Harmanpreet was working nonstop by this point. She struck seven fours in a row off successive balls to get her first WPL half-century in 22 balls. On display was the renowned bat-swing. Maybe the confidence was there all along. They all were on display, including glimpses of her T201 hundred, the ODI knock, and most recently the undefeated 143.
Yet the trick for the over-thinker in Harmanpreet was to quiet herself and bring clarity in her thoughts and get herself in the zone.
Clarity is easier to come by when she is relaxed and in the moment, she added. It’s difficult to be in that zone, but when I’m quiet, it helps me think clearly. It’s difficult to get into that zone, but I have to keep telling myself stories and focus on the here and now. Today was that day when I was at ease since I am clearer when choosing my areas when I am in that zone .
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