Star all-rounder, Tahlia McGrath who’d won the player of the month in August is followed by Harmanpreet Kaur who overtook Nigar Sultana Joty and teammate, Smriti Mandhana to clinch the International Cricket Council’s (ICC’s) Player of the month award for September.
India’s all-format skipper, Harmanpreet Kaur, during the side’s tour of England had not started well, but kindled a turnaround that helped her side get a 3-0 series win in England during the One-Day International (ODI) series for the first time since 1999. In the opening ODI, Harmanpreet Kaur put on a special inning of 74* that helped India chase down 228 for a win. She followed that up with a blistering, 111-ball-143* in the 2nd ODI that helped India put on a 300+ total and in the final and 3rd ODI, a 4(9) got her to finish the series as the highest run-scorer with 221 runs at an average of 221 and a strike rate of 103.27.
Harmanpreet Kaur on winning the player of the month award, commented, “It was great to be nominated for the award and to win it is an amazing feeling. To come out as winner when being nominated alongside Smriti and Nigar is very humbling. I have always taken immense pride in representing my country and achieving the historic ODI series win in England will remain a landmark moment for me in my career.
Harmanpreet Kaur becomes India’s first winner of the ICC Women’s Player of the Month#CricketTwitter #TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/U1PlXg0sgP
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) October 10, 2022
“The game of cricket is blessed to have some of the finest athletes on the sporting circuit and to be chosen the ICC Women’s Player of the Month amongst them is a special recognition for me as an individual and the captain of the Indian cricket team.”
ICC Hall of Famer and member of the voting panel, Lisa Sthalekar, said, “Since taking over the captaincy in all three formats, Harmanpreet has taken her game to another level. Not only providing consistency but adding her usual fireworks at the end of the innings.”
Harmanpreet Kaur started the year well and in the ICC Women’s 50-over World Cup, she finished as the 2nd highest run-getter for India with 317 runs against her name in 7 innings and registered a brilliant average of 53.00. With Mithali Raj retiring, Harmanpreet Kaur then was announced as India’s skipper for the One-Day Internationals (ODI) as well.
Post the World Cup, India played a white-ball series against Sri Lanka and the best of the newly-appointed skipper, Harmanpreet Kaur was back on the show. She top-scored for India with 93 runs in 3 innings at an average of 92.00 and was the 2nd highest run-getter in the 3-matchT20I series. In the 3-match ODI series, Harmanpreet Kaur finished as the 3rd highest run-getter and was the 2nd highest run-getter for India with 119 runs coming off 2 innings at an average of 59.50
Harmanpreet Kaur then guided India to a podium finish having clinched silver in the women’s cricket debut edition of the Commonwealth Games. The stage again was blessed with Harmanpreet Kaur’s firing as she went on to finish the tournament as the 3rd highest run-scorer for India with 137 runs off 4 innings at an average of 34.25 and was 6th overall.
The out-of-touch Harmanpreet Kaur who’d gained form in the early stages of the ICC Women’s 50-Over World Cup added a touch of consistency and since has been rewarding for India. The 3-0 ODI series sweep in England, which is India’s first in 26 years is to an extent a fitting reward to Harmanpreet Kaur’s efforts.