New Delhi [India], November 7 : The Indian skipper Harmanpreet Kaur acknowledged the special effort from Shafali Verma, Smriti Mandhana and Deepti Sharma, who showed up with guts when things got rough for the World Cup winners.
Shafali Verma's entry into the World Cup was a story to tell all by itself. She was not a part of the 15-member squad ahead of the tournament. She came in to open the innings alongside Smriti Mandhana and had to play her part right from the get-go, replacing the injured Pratika Rawal just ahead of the semi-final against Australia.
The team's belief paid off, and Shafali reigned supreme in the summit clash against the Proteas in an unexpected fashion. She first blazed 87 off 78 with the bat to propel India to 298. And then came in clutch with the wickets of Sune Luus and Marizanne Kapp in the first seven balls of her spell to break a steady chase. Who saw it coming? The Indian skipper definitely did.
"As soon as she came into the squad, everyone was talking about whether we should play her or not. We knew that she has played in (T20) World Cups before. She has won the U19 World Cup as well," Harmanpreet noted.
"She was familiar with the pressure and the stage, and how important her role was. We were very clear that she was going to play in the final. She can come and bowl those few overs, if we needed. When the partnership (of Laura Wolvaardt and Sune Luus) started building, I had the thought that we should at least give her one over and see what happens. And instantly, she got us two back-to-back breakthroughs. And that shows how much she wanted to perform for the team, and she did," Harmanpreet said.
Speaking of another player who finished with the second-most runs at the World Cup, Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet praised the batter's innate ability to get runs and the entire team for backing her at all times.
Mandhana was the source of firepower at the top for India, smashing 434 runs in nine games, with a stunning century against New Zealand to her name.
"Her contribution to the team will always be remembered. I remember all of us, whenever she is batting, we are praying. Every day we are praying that she scores a century. Because when she gets the runs, everything else just falls into place. We have always prayed for the other to get the runs. Those are the kind of things that have helped us get across the line. It's a team sport. Everyone's contribution is really important," Harmanpreet added.
"That's what we have been talking about since Day 1. That everyone will need to bond together, only then can we cross the line."
Player of the Tournament, the consistent Deepti Sharma was one of India's quiet backbones through the World Cup. The all-rounder finished with a tournament high 22 wickets, and chipped in with 215 runs, rescuing the innings from tricky positions against Sri Lanka, England and in the final against South Africa with fifty-plus scores.
Her calm under pressure and ability to adapt to match situations reflected the maturity she's built over the years, and Harmanpreet was all praise for it.
"We have been telling this to Deepti for years, that you have something special in you. You have to trust that. That you can always contribute with the bat and the ball. And obviously, she's a great fielder as well. All she needed was a push. Because somewhere we all were feeling that she holds herself back. That she doesn't believe as much in her ability for the team," Harmanpreet noted.
"I think we should give credit to our support staff, they have been pushing her, whether it's our trainer Harsha sir, Amol sir or our bowling coach (Aavishkar Salvi), they have all pushed her. And it's because of their push that she has been able to perform so well," Harmanpreet concluded.