Harmanpreet was the Indian captain and had to fulfil post-match broadcast duties, which she did while wearing sunglasses...
Digital Desk: Harmanpreet Kaur, India's captain, arrived for the post-match presentation wearing sunglasses. She did this to conceal her tears as Harmanpreet didn't want the rest of her country to see her cry. It said a lot about Harmanpreet as a cricketer, a leader, and, most importantly, a human being.
She combated illness - she might not have participated if it hadn't been a World Cup semi-final - and gave it her all on the field. She came out like a woman possessed to bat.
The right-hander whacked the Australian bowlers all over the ground, putting India in a dominating position but failing to get them over the acquired run line.
After the heartbreaks of the 2017 ODI World Cup final and the Commonwealth Games gold medal match last year, India lost the semi-final against Australia by five runs in yet another last-over thriller.
That was Harmanpreet's moment of glory on Thursday in Newlands, Cape Town. But the unthinkable happened when the nation felt sure of dethroning the powerful Australians. Harmanpreet was ejected in one of the odd ways imaginable. Her bat got jammed inches before the crease when returning for the second run in the 15th over. Harmanpreet was run out for 52 off 34 balls when India needed 40 off 32 balls.
It was too much for Richa Ghosh, Deepti Sharma, and Sneh Rana to manage. India fell five short of Australia's 172, as sadness seeped into the dressing room. Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues who scored (43 off 24 balls), Richa Ghosh, and the other Indian players tried hard not to cry. She was the captain and had to fulfil the post-game broadcast duties, which she did while wearing sunglasses.
"I don't want my country to see me crying, so I'm wearing these glasses. I swear, we will improve and won't let our nation down like this again," Harmanpreet told the broadcasters.
"It can't get any worse than the way I got run out. It was more vital to put forth the effort. We spoke about fighting to the last ball. The outcome did not go our way, but I am pleased with how we performed in this competition. Even if we lose early wickets, we know we have a strong batting lineup. Jemi deserves credit for the way she batted today. She provided us with the momentum we needed "she added.
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