Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
It’s not every day you get to interview an Indian World Cup-winning captain. I happened to get lucky and get about a minute of the Indian women’s cricket team captain, Harmanpreet Kaur’s time recently, in the middle of a packed media interaction where every second felt contested.
Events like these are part of the job. You show up, wait your turn, and hope you can get a question in that is worth carrying. But when someone of Harmanpreet’s stature is in the room, the dynamic changes. There is a visible urgency. Reporters from across organisations gather, each trying to edge forward, each hoping to get that first bite before the opportunity slips away.
advertisement
I tried to do the same. In the end, one minute was all I could manage.
By the time I got my turn, there was already a sense of fatigue in the room. Her manager was trying to wrap things up. There was talk that this would be the final interaction before she stepped away for lunch. At one point, someone even asked if food could be brought into the room. Harmanpreet herself admitted she had not eaten in a while.
Still, she smiled, turned her attention forward, and signalled she was ready for one more question.
That moment, brief as it was, carried its own pressure. I had found out about the event barely a day earlier. There had been little time to prepare, and even less time to refine what I wanted to ask. In situations like this, instinct takes over. You go with what feels right and hope it lands.
Looking back, it may not have been the most inventive question. I asked whether India’s first Women’s ODI World Cup win could help break the mental barrier that had held the team back for years, and whether it could lead to a more dominant phase for the Women in Blue.
The answer, however, carried far more clarity than the question.
“As a captain, I really want to see our team winning more titles. Earlier, we were coming close but couldn’t cross that line. Now we’ve experienced what it takes to win. It’s about maintaining that standard. We have a lot of matches and tournaments coming up, and hopefully we can bring more trophies home,” Harmanpreet said.
It was a straightforward response, but one that captured a significant shift. For years, India’s women’s team had been defined by how close it came. They reached finals, showed signs of promise but the last step often remained out of reach. That narrative changed in Navi Mumbai on November 2, 2025.
What comes next is often harder.
Winning once can be a breakthrough. Sustaining that level requires a different mindset. Harmanpreet’s words reflected that transition. The focus is no longer on crossing the line, but on staying there.
That challenge will come into sharper focus soon, with the next major test being the Women’s T20 World Cup in June 2026, where India will look to build on their recent success.
The interaction itself took place on the sidelines of an event where a stand at a new cricket stadium called the Omaxe State in Dwarka is set to be named after her. The venue, part of a 30,000-capacity project, will include ‘The Pink Stand,’ a dedicated section designed with single women and families in mind, an attempt to make the matchday experience more accessible.
Omaxe MD Mohit Goel said the decision to name a stand after Harmanpreet was aimed at recognising both her journey and the wider growth of women’s sport in India, adding that the introduction of the Pink Stand was driven by a need to make stadium spaces more inclusive.
In many ways, the setting mirrored the moment Indian women’s cricket finds itself in. There is recognition now, and there is momentum. But there is also expectation.
As the brief interaction wrapped up, Harmanpreet was quickly ushered away, finally heading towards the lunch she had been waiting for.
But the line lingered.
Hungry for more.
Moments earlier, it had been about something as simple as a missed meal. But in her answer, it carried a different weight. A team that has finally crossed the line is no longer satisfied with just getting there.
And for Harmanpreet Kaur, that hunger, on and off the field, may well define what comes next.
– Ends
Must Watch
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
