Harmanpreet Kaur

An aggressive middle-order batswoman Harmanpreet Kaur Bhullar idolises Virender Sehwag. Like her idol, she also knows the art of off-break bowling. Harmanpreet is the first Indian female cricketer to hit a T20I ton and the first Indian to feature in a foreign franchise T20 league. 

Harmanpreet was introduced to cricket by her father who himself was a sportsperson. As a kid, she used to compete with boys and beat them with a fair margin. Seeing her potential, her school coach helped her pursue the sport and train with other girls. 

A young Harmanpreet started off as a seam-bowling all-rounder and soon rose through the ranks to don the Indian Blues in 2009 at the age of 20. She first came into the international scene during the 2009 World T20 and made her ODI debut in the same year against Pakistan. However, it wasn’t until 2013 that Harmanpreet could state her prominence on the world stage, courtesy of her century against England in the World Cup. 

In 2014, Harmanpreet made her Test debut against England at Wormsley but couldn’t contribute to her team’s win. A couple of months later, the all-rounder flaunted her abilities with the ball in hand by taking nine wickets in a Test against South Africa. 

Post India’s disappointing World T20 at home in 2016, Harmanpreet was handed the captaincy throne in the T20 format, though she didn’t have a great in her maiden series as a leader.  However, she had an impressive Asia Cup campaign where her girls clinched their sixth title. 

In the same year, Harmanpreet became the first Indian cricketer to sign a foreign T20 league contract when three WBBL teams called her. She ended up playing for Sydney Thunder and finished as the club's Player of the Tournament. After WBBL, she signed with ECB's Women's Cricket League to play for Surrey.

During the 2017 World Cup, Harmanpreet played a vital cog in India reaching the final of the event. She scored two half-centuries and a century, apart from her five wickets, during the campaign. Her biggest moment came during the semifinal when she smashed 171 not out off 115 balls which koed defending champions Australia and powered the Indians into the finals for the first time since 2005. 

In 2018, Harmanpreet led the Indian girls to the semifinal of the World T20, before they lost to England. The skipper enjoyed her time in the megaevent and scored her maiden T20I ton. Her 103 off 51 balls against New Zealand was the first century scored by an Indian female cricketer in the format. 

Next year, she became the first Indian woman to play 100 T20Is. In 2020, Harmanpreet bagged her 100th ODI to become the fifth entry to the list. She led India in the 2020 World T20 held in Australia. Harmanpreet proudly led her girls to the final where they played in front of the historic number of 86000 people in the MCG. 

Currently, Harmanpreet Kaur is one of the most prolific Indian cricketers and an inspiration to a million budding players. She has proudly served her country and is well-motivated to represent India for many more years to come. 

(As of March 2021)