Harmanpreet Kaur forced India to pay attention to women's cricket
Harmanpreet Kaur's persistence helped elevate Indian women's cricket from ignored to world champions before she stepped down as captain.
Harmanpreet Kaur fought to play, fought to be believed, and finally lifted the Women's ODI World Cup trophy that proved doubters wrong. The batter from Moga, Punjab, has now relinquished the captaincy across formats after leading India to their first major ICC title.
Kaur's journey began when her coach spotted her hitting sixes while playing with boys, her long hair tied in a traditional Sikh bun. She told a media training session before the 2017 World Cup that no one wanted to listen to women's stories, a sentiment that has since changed as India became a competitive force in the women's game.
After stepping down, Kaur said she finally gets to play for herself rather than carrying the weight of representation and leadership expectations.
CricHubb Take
By stepping away from the captaincy, Kaur leaves a leadership vacuum that the BCCI must now fill while deciding whether her successor can carry the same weight of expectation without burning out.