Vadodara, October 25, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Harmanpreet Kaur said she wants to focus on enjoying her batting after producing a match-winning 126 against Zimbabwe in the second women’s ODI, despite playing through a mild fever.
Named Player of the Match after India’s 121-run victory, Harmanpreet walked in at 19/2 and anchored the innings with 15 boundaries from 121 balls. She first shared a century partnership with Pratika Rawal, who scored 61, before combining with Deepti Sharma for another century stand as India posted 328/6.
Harmanpreet revealed that she had developed a mild fever the previous night and was struggling in the afternoon heat after returning to the field.
“I just want to enjoy my batting. That’s what I did, and that’s what I want to keep doing,” she said during the post-match presentation.
She said she and Rawal kept their approach simple after India lost early wickets, respecting good deliveries while looking to punish loose balls.
Harmanpreet, who is no longer leading the Indian side, also acknowledged the emotional transition following the change in her role. She said cricket and batting continued to give her happiness and that she wanted to embrace the new phase of her career.
“When you’re batting, you don’t think these kinds of things. You’re batting as a batter, and you want to take responsibility for the team,” she said.
Meanwhile, left-arm spinner Vaishnavi Sharma, who claimed her maiden international four-wicket haul with figures of 4/39, said she had used her time away from the team to work on her speed, variations and reading batters.
Vaishnavi said she had made only a minor adjustment to her action, holding the ball slightly longer at release. Asked to choose her favourite wicket, she picked all four, singling out the dismissal where she hit the top of off.
India’s win sealed the three-match ODI series 2-0.
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