"She asked me to pray to God": Harmanpreet's mother on India's historic Women's World Cup triumph

Moga (Punjab) [India], November 4 (ANI): It was a moment of immense pride and emotion for the family of Indian skipper Harmanpreet Kaur as she led Team India to their maiden ICC Women's World Cup title, defeating South Africa in the final at Navi Mumbai.

Speaking about the historic win, Harmanpreet's mother, Satwinder Kaur, shared her emotions and the prayers behind the success.

"We met Harman one day before the final. She asked me to pray to God so that they could win the match," she said.

"Watching it live, there was a lot of excitement. Punjab CM congratulated Harman. We want to say to all the members of Team India to play together and win another World Cup," she added.

Harman's father, Harmandar Singh, said, "Every member of the team played very well and won the World Cup. Harman clicked photos after getting the Cup. We are very proud of our daughter."

Leading from the front, Harmanpreet Kaur had a memorable campaign with the bat. She scored 260 runs in nine matches, including two half-centuries, and played a match-winning knock of 89 runs in the semifinal against Australia, helping India chase down a massive target of 339.

During the pulsating final on Sunday, India posted a daunting total of 298/7 on the board, courtesy of Shafali Verma's blistering 87(78) and Deepti Sharma's fiery run-a-ball 58. In reply, skipper Laura Wolvaardt singlehandedly led the fight with a rollicking 101(98) while the rest of her compatriots crumbled against India's spin attack. Player of the Tournament, Deepti Sharma, delivered the final blow, and India experienced a wave of euphoria.

India took a victory lap inside the stadium to prolong the moment of jubilation. Former cricketers Jhulan Goswami and Mithali Raj joined in the victory celebrations and lifted the coveted title with teary eyes. Former India men's captain Rohit Sharma, who was present at the stadium with his family, was visibly overwhelmed with emotions.

After the nerve-wracking final, Harmanpreet was effusive about past stalwarts Jhulan Goswami and Anjum Chopra. She credited the duo for providing her support during her illustrious 16-year career.

"Jhulan Di was my biggest support. When I joined the team, she was leading it. She always supported me in my early days when I was very raw and didn't know much about cricket. I used to play with boys, and the school principal picked me up, and within a year, I started representing the country. In the initial days, Anjum (Chopra) provided me with a lot of support. I always remember how she used to take me along with her team," Harmanpreet said after the match.

"I learnt a lot from her and passed it on to my team. Both of them have been a great support for me. I am very grateful that I got to share a special moment with them. It was a very emotional moment. I think we all were waiting for this. Finally, we were able to touch this trophy," Harmanpreet added. (ANI)

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