Harmanpreet Kaur breaks down on live TV after sensational 91, reveals what has changed

Harmanpreet Kaur (Screengrab) Harmanpreet Kaur struggled to contain her emotions after producing a stunning comeback with the bat as she smashed an unbeaten 91 off just 41 balls in the third and final T20I against Zimbabwe. The former India captain’s emotional moment came during an innings interview when she reflected on her return to form and thanked those who supported her during a tough time.The 37-year-old, who stepped down as India’s captain across formats earlier this month, has gone 10 matches without a half-century. Her struggles with the bat continued through the Women’s Asia Cup T20 and the Asian Games, though India won both tournaments comfortably.But against Zimbabwe, Harmanpreet looked different, finding her rhythm and hitting the ball with authority. Her unbeaten knock featured 10 fours and five sixes with some powerful ground strokes.The 37-year-old became emotional and struggled to hold back tears as she spoke to the broadcaster during the break.“It’s a great feeling. I just wanted to enjoy it and it’s great that I took the time in the middle and really enjoyed it on the court,” she said.During the interview, Harmanpreet also credited former Indian women’s head coach WV Raman, who was part of the telecast, for his words of encouragement.“I just wanted to bat as long as possible and I’m glad I was able to do that. I think I should also thank you (WV Raman).“The moment we came, you stepped in and said, ‘Now do what you want,’ and that’s what I want to do and I really want to enjoy it. Thanks for the words.”Harmanpreet said when the captain stepped down, it took the pressure off her so she could focus on enjoying her time in the middle.“I don’t think there’s any pressure anymore. Now it’s all about going out there and enjoying it on the court, and that’s exactly what I want to do,” she said.She also credited the time spent working in the nets after the Asian Games and thanked batting coach Himanshu Chawla for helping her prepare for the innings.“I had some time in the nets after the Asian Games. I really want to thank Himanshu bhaiya who worked really hard on me and today’s batting was all him.”The knock marked Harmanpreet’s first half-century since the start of her non-captain tenure. Her unbeaten 91 was also the second-highest individual score by an Indian batsman at No.4 or below in women’s T20Is, behind her own 103 against New Zealand in Providence during the 2018 T20 World Cup.At the post-match presentation, Harmanpreet explained how the early boundary helped her assess the conditions and play with more confidence.“I think I hit the (second) ball for four and that’s when I realized it was a good pitch where the ball was hitting the bat nicely. I got a lot of confidence from that shot, so I just said, ‘Let me keep going and see how it goes,'” she said.She added that continuing to work on batting and repeating the processes developed in training will be key for the future.“Batting is key for me and I just want to keep working on it and repeat those processes in the nets. I really want to appreciate my batting coach (Himanshu Chawla), Manju bhaiya (Munish Bali) who works very hard with me and understands the kind of batting I can do.”