India’s World Cup champion Amanjot Kaur has dismissed the rumours claiming that her grandmother had passed away days before the World Cup final against South Africa. The reports, which started circulating online after India’s title win, have now been clarified by the cricketer herself.
Taking to her social media handle Instagram, Amanjot shared a heartfelt note, saying her grandmother was doing well and urged people not to spread misinformation and fake news.
“I just wanted to share that my grandmother is doing well and in good health. Please don’t believe or spread any false information circulating online. Thank you to everyone who has reached out with care and concern. My 90s kid is doing absolutely fine,” she wrote in her Instagram story.
Her father, Bhupinder Singh, confirmed that Amanjot’s grandmother did suffer a heart attack before the final, but she is currently receiving treatment and is recovering well. Singh shared how Amanjot had sensed something was wrong even before the match.
“Amanjot had an intuition that Biji (grandmother) was not well. First, she called her sister, who told her that Biji was at the gurdwara. Then she called me and told me to get her Biji on a video call. After much insistence, I told my mother that it’s the biggest match of her career today, and she wished Amanjot best of luck on the call,” Singh recalled.
He further explained that the family chose not to reveal the seriousness of her grandmother’s condition before the final.
“I told Amanjot that Biji was not well as she had low BP, but we told her nothing about the heart attack. It was only after the final that we told her about it. Today, she even spoke with the doctors, who will be doing more tests tomorrow,” Singh added.
Amanjot’s grandmother, Bhagwanti, has been a huge source of strength and inspiration in her cricket journey. Her father recalled how she stood by Amanjot since her childhood days, watching her play cricket with boys and girls in their Mohali neighbourhood.
“My mother has been Amanjot’s pillar of strength and biggest supporter since the day she started playing cricket outside on the street and in the park near our Phase 5 residence in Mohali. While I would be at my carpentry shop at Balongi, she would make sure to sit outside the home or at the park to oversee Amanjot playing. We have been spending time in hospitals for her treatment. The World Cup win has surely come as a balm in these tense for us,” he said.
Despite all the emotional turmoil at home, Amanjot turned up for India and played a major role in the country’s first-ever women’s World Cup victory. She took a brilliant catch to dismiss the dangerous Laura Wolvaardt in the final, bowled out Phoebe Litchfield in the semi-final against Australia, and had earlier scored a crucial fifty in India’s opening game against Sri Lanka when the team was under pressure.
Loves all things female cricket