Harmanpreet Kaur: What makes her different from others?

Three World Cups, three centuries. Harmanpreet Kaur is now among the list of India players with 3 or more centuries in the World Cup. She has been a revolution in the middle order over the years for India with the stroke making abilities and big scores. But what makes her different from other Indian women's batters? We ask former Indian Cricketer Gargi Banerjee and Women's Cricket columnist Ananya Sarkar for the answer.

Read Also: New major changes in cricket law

"To me, she is the best stroke maker India has ever produced in Women's cricket," Gargi Banerjee started by saying who has seen Kaur's career from a close corner. Gargi Banerjee was appointed as the manager of the Indian cricket team numerous times and she has seen the middle order batter grow in front of her eyes.

"You remember the 171 in the last world cup? I think that inning changed women's cricket scene in India," Gargi Banerjee added. "I think it is her ability to hit the ball cleanly and far that makes her better than others. If you ask me, she is the best I have seen when it comes to hitting sixes."

Long handle, down the ground and big sixes that has been a trademark shot for Harmanpreet Kaur. But how does she do it?

Read Also: Bangladesh wins their first-ever match in Women's World Cup history

"You will see many batters come down the wicket and hit sixes, but Harman makes it look effortless. She has the power and fitness to come down the track even when the ball is not flighted," Gargi Banerjee answered.

"Look women's cricket is slower than Men's cricket. If you watch a match from the close corner, you will notice it. Hitting the spinners are more difficult due to the lack of pace. And, at that pace, the ball takes longer to reach you. So, either you have to be quick enough to get to the ball or wait for the ball to come. Harman has been brilliant with both. She can hit you down the ground even if you bowl slow and pray for a catch at the long-on," Gargi Banerjee demonstrated why hitting a six is difficult in women's cricket.

Read Also: Smriti Mandhana: 'It was amazing to watch our bowlers dominate Australia'

Not only her, Ananya Sarkar, women's cricket columnist and someone who saw Harman's all the world cup hundreds thinks Harman's ability to hit sixes down the ground is among the best in the business. "Harmanpreet's stroke-making ability, especially the lofted straight sixes over the bowler's head are the best in the business," she said in an exclusive interview with Sportz Point.

However, according to Ananya, it is her ability to play spin is that makes her different from others. "If you ask me for a comparative ability I rate her among the best to have played spin. Harmanpreet is one of the better players of the sweep shot I have seen. She is the key to India's batting order especially in the middle orders as we saw today," Ananya added post-India's triumph over West Indies in Women's World Cup.

Gargi Banerjee agreed with her on that point. "ODI cricket is all about taking singles, doubles and punishing the bad balls. When you bat in the middle if you can not survive if you can not play spin well. She can rock back and play on the back foot and is also confident enough to step down the ground without getting stumped. This is what makes her dangerous with the spinners bowling in the middle."

Read Also: Most Centuries by Indians in Cricket World Cup (Men & Women)

According to Ananya, Harman is one of the batters whose strike rate is not an issue in the middle overs. "Once she settles in, she is a destructive batter & has the ability to pick up her strike rate. As we saw today, once she completed her 50, her strike rate drastically increased," she added.

It is not only her batting, it is her fitness that makes her keep going at her age. "I believe Harman is one of the fittest in the Indian team, and her bowling contribution is important to the team's success too. She is a gun fielder and I feel that is why she is crucial to India's performance. If you had seen her perform in the WBBL, she was crucial to the Renegades reaching the playoffs. Similarly, with India, she is an extremely important player."

Both the experts think Harman's form will be crucial for India if they want to get close to that trophy. "Harman's form will be the main factor if India wants to go past the 250 mark any time they bat. For me, she will be the key if India has to chase more than 250 in tough matches," Gargi Banerjee said.

Meanwhile, Ananya thinks "For India to win the world cup, Harmanpreet's form will be extremely critical. If India has to go onto the semis & beyond this time around, Harmanpreet is a key clog in the Indian team. In my opinion, she has to score above 50 runs in the matches against the higher-ranked teams for India to qualify for the semis."