‘God is a better writer’: Harmanpreet Kaur reflects on India’s historic triumph of the Lord

Indian Women’s Cricket Team (X-cricbuzz) India captain Harmanpreet Kaur hailed her team’s resilience, support staff and collective effort after India completed a historic 270-run victory over England in the first-ever women’s Test at Lord’s on Monday.India ended the match on the fourth morning after dismissing England for 186 while defending a daunting target of 457 to seal one of their most memorable victories in women’s Test cricket.Asked if she could have written a better ending, Harmanpreet smiled and said, “Definitely not. God is a better writer. He wrote it very well.”The skipper reserved special praise for openers Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma, whose partnership laid the platform for India’s outstanding performance.“Yes, definitely. I think our openers were our biggest strength. The way they batted in the first half, I think it was something very special to watch. They are the ones who always take charge and take all the pressure off us. Also in this Test match, it was great to watch the way they batted.”India’s win was particularly significant given the limited number of Tests the team can play. Harmanpreet said the support staff played a major role in preparing the players for the demands of the longest format.“I think it’s the effort of the whole team and especially our support staff. A lot of them have played a lot of Test cricket. They know how Test cricket moves and they’re the ones who give us feedback every now and then. It’s because of them that we were able to perform. I really want to thank Mr. Amol and the whole team for supporting us during this Test match and the previous one.”The win came after India endured a disappointing Women’s World T20 campaign, but Harmanpreet said the group remained united during a difficult phase.“I think the last few series haven’t been in our favour. But I know that’s the time when things can backfire here and there. The way our support staff has held us together is something to watch. Again I want to give credit to Mr Amol and all the support staff. They have held us together. I know the summer in England didn’t go the way we wanted but we came back strong in the Test season a match we have good memories of.”Harmanpreet also heaped praise on Yastika Bhatia, whose century proved pivotal in India’s dominant display.“She’s a great batsman. We had a very strong feeling about her and that’s why we included her in the XI. I’m really happy with the way she batted.”She also highlighted India’s fielding standards, singled out Richa Ghosh while appreciating the efforts of the entire team and the fielding coach.“We always have one player who gets our award in the field. The way our whole team lined up in this test match was something very special to watch because fielding is an area that we have worked very hard on as a group. When you see the results, you feel really happy. Our fielding coach has been working so hard for so many years, so I’m really happy with how the whole team lined up, especially how Richa came together and everyone’s performance.”Looking ahead, Harmanpreet hoped the success at the Home of Cricket would encourage more women’s Tests to be played at iconic venues.“Playing at Lord’s is always special. I really want to thank the people who thought about bringing one Test match here and hopefully we’ll have a lot more in the future. These kinds of matches bring a lot of happiness and excitement. Hopefully we’ll continue to get more Test matches and keep doing what we’re doing.”