New Delhi, Sep 19, 2025
Indian men’s Test team skipper Shubman Gill recalled his childhood memories of watching the Indian women’s team captain Harmanpreet Kaur dominate at the academy, revealing that she used to bat very aggressively and smash bowlers all over the park.
Harmanpreet is set to lead India for the first time in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup, starting from September 30 in India and Sri Lanka.
“When I was about 10 or 11 years old, she used to come to the academy where I practiced outside and used to play matches with us. I clearly remember her smashing our bowlers all over the park. As a kid, that was a rare sight for me. She batted very aggressively, which was quite different from that time,” Gill said on JioHotstar’s special show ‘Champions Wali Baat: Believe in Blue’.
Gill further expressed his admiration for Harmanpreet’s leadership, saying,
“When anyone rises through the ranks, especially from our region in Punjab, and goes on to captain the country, it is a huge and very proud moment. To see Harmanpreet doing that with such immense pride and joy is truly exciting.”
Besdies Gill, T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav, wicketkeeper Sanju Samson and allrounder Hardik Pandya shared their admiration and support for the women’s squad.
Suryakumar praised Jemimah Rodrigues and backed her to shine in the upcoming World Cup, saying, “It’s always good to see someone from your home city (Mumbai) who has played so many local games, represent the state, and then gone on to play for India. Not just in World Cups, but also in bilateral series. Jemimah has always been a great performer.”
“Playing the World Cup is a huge opportunity, and I’m sure she will deliver because she’s a great teammate, always helping everyone around. As we all have seen, she brings amazing energy to the ground as well,” he added.
Samson, however, praised wicketkeeper-batter Richa Ghosh for her composure and talent. He said, “We all love watching Richa Ghosh. The way she bats and keeps wickets, she always looks calm and confident. There is a lot to learn from her. Wearing the blue jersey in this country is never easy, and there’s been a lot of hard work behind the scenes.”
Pandya also gave his wishes to the women’s team ahead of the World Cup, saying, “I’m very excited and just want to wish the women’s team the best of luck. The whole of India is supporting you, and so are we. Go out there and enjoy the sport. Don’t worry too much, just be yourself. At the same time, remember that a billion people are backing you and sending their love.”(Agency)
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