There is no problem between me and Mithali: Harmanpreet Kaur

XtraTime Web Desk: Indian women’s T20 team captain Harmanpreet Kaur is currently in Sydney where she plays for Women’s Big Bash League side Sydney Thunders. She was present at SCG to watch the Indians bat during the fourth Test against Australia. In an interview to Mumbai Mirror, said she had spoken to Mithali Raj after the latter’s omission from the Women’s World T20 semi-final against England created a big controversy after the team’s return from West Indies. Here goes the full interview:

Q: You have just been named the captain of the ICC T20 Team of the Year (2018). How is the feeling and were you expecting it?

Harmanpreet: I am really happy about it. To be honest, I had never thought about it. I had always wanted the team to do well in the T20 format. We were doing well in the 50-over game but this year we have done well in the T20 format also. This reward is both a recognition of how well the team has done and also a motivation for the future.

Q: The women game in India has made rapid progress. We are now reaching the final and semis of ICC tournaments? What do you attribute that to?

Harmanpreet: In recent times the whole mind-set of the players has changed. The fitness levels have also improved. We have been giving more chances to youngsters and these girls just want to express themselves. The focus has shifted from individual performances to performance as a team. And this has formed the basis of better results.

Q: You spoke about mind-set, how exactly has this change come about?

Harmanpreet: Earlier our team was too dependent of senior players. The thinking was that the senior players had to take all the workload. But during the ICC T20 World Cup, the then coach Ramesh Powar told all of us that each and every player in the team is not only equal but equally important. He met all the players individually and gave clear message to them. If you two-three T20 World Cups before this one in West Indies, we were not able to reach even the semis. After those chats, the players realised their importance. These one-on-one sessions went a long way in how we performed.

But of course there are areas where we are lagging. Like we are starting the tournament well but are not able to win tournaments. I think we are lacking a bit of mental stability during the knock-out phases. We have to work on this area specifically if we want to win big tournaments.

Q: Ramesh Powar is history now. Have you got chance to speak to the new coach WV Raman?

Harmanpreet: I had met Raman sir at the National Cricket Association a couple of times. I know that he comes with a lot of experience. I used to fine-tune my batting with Harshal Patel and he used to speak very highly of Raman sir’s technical and tactical acumen. I think these things will help the team.

Q: How will the controversy affect the team? Soon you will be sharing dressing room with Mithali Raj…

Harmanpreet: When you play at international you are mature enough to not let such things affect you. At the end of the day what matter is that you are playing for the country. That has to be the priority. Team is like a family where there are troubles and issues that keep cropping up. But these things can’t be taken personally. The best thing is to sit across the table and solve the issues. The problem is not as big as it has come to be seen. The team has stayed together and that’s the reason we have done well recently.

Q: There have been too many leaks about what transpired between you, Mithali and Powar. How do you plan to take a fresh guard I that background?

Harmanpreet: I don’t think there has been any problem between us. I can speak for myself. You have to speak to her and ask if she has a problem with me. I have always respected her as a senior. We are mature enough to handle the situation. We will have to play as a unit to take the team forward. We are more team players than individuals. If you think about the team cause, you will put your head down and work towards that. I have met her and spoken to here after all these events and we seem to have moved on.

Q: But when a situation arrives that coach and captain want a certain thing and a layer is not buying into that, how do you handle that situation. This seemed to have been the case in West Indies…

Harmanpreet: No player is bigger than the team. When a team is doing well, all the members have to think on these lines only. I still feel that the situation should not have come to this but sometimes such things happen. I don’t think that the issues should have been highlighted so much. But everyone has their personal views and I won’t comment on that.

Q: The women game has also become about power. You and Smiriti Mandhana have shown that big sixes can be hit into the stands. How do you prepare for that?

Harmanpreet: Now some of us are playing T20 games back-to-back.  Earlier we used to have maybe ten matches in a year. In that scenario you are always thing that will happen if I fail in two-three games. But when you are playing in leagues like the WBBL in Australia or the one in England, you get more number of games to perform. By playing in these leagues you gain experience and that helps when you are playing at international level. At these leagues you have experience to deal with pressure. Look at how Mandhana has improved in last one-and-a-half year.

Q: These leagues have been a real help it seems…

Harmanpreet: The thing is that in these leagues you are playing with girls who have more collective experience in the format. In the Indian team we have players who have much-less match experience. Now when these players go to big tournaments where they have to win back to back games, the pressure can get to you. On the other hand teams like Australia and England are filled with players who have already gone through such pressures in their T20 leagues. India only has two or three such players. So I think that we need a league of our own in India. Such a league will give more girls experience to handle pressure.

Q: But do we have the depth in the women game to start a T20 league?

Harmanpreet: See you have to create the depth. This can’t be used as an excuse to not have a women T20 league in India. Even if we don’t have, one day we will have to make a start somewhere. You can’t be waiting for a day when others nations have reached a level where it becomes impossible to catch them. It’s important that we start a league at the earliest so that young players get a chance to rub shoulders with oversees players. This will help increase the confidence.

Q: So you are saying that talent is there…         

 Harmanpreet: Of course. I followed a bit of U-19 tournament this year and some girls were really impressive. Now they are looking for a platform. The earlier that we get a league going in India, the better it will be. For first few years it would not be right to have too much expectations. But I can guarantee that improvement will be there with each passing year.