Published 17:49 IST, July 15th 2020
Harmanpreet Kaur names her idol and it is NOT Mithali Raj or Yuvraj Singh
Harmanpreet Kaur said that while her brother was a Yuvraj Singh fan, she used to root for one of India's most successful batsmen in the 2000s on TV.
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The game of cricket is considered as a religion in India and many players are considered idols by young cricketers, who are trying to make a career in cricket. India women's team skipper Harmanpreet Kaur recently revealed her idol who she grew up watching during her journey in cricket. During a chat with Harsha Bhogle for Cricbuzz, the right-hander revealed that former Team India opener Virender Sehwag is her idol.
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Harmanpreet Kaur opens up on her first conversation with Virender Sehwag
During the chat, Harmanpreet Kaur recalled her first conversation with Virender Sehwag after she sent him a text message and he called her back immediately after the message. While recollecting the entire episode, Kaur said that she had written him a text which read – Sir, I want to talk to you, if you have time please talk and within two seconds of her sending that message she got a call.
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Harmanpreet added that the call took her by surprise as she thought that he might not read the message or check it after 10 days. India's T20 captain further said that during the conversation, Virender Sehwag did not look in a hurry to answer her queries and gave her plenty of time, patiently listened to all her questions, and then gave her advice. After that episode, her respect for Sehwag increased.
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The Indian captain also gave an insight about fighting with her brother over who would score more runs between Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh when India played in the 2000s and the start of the 2010s. Harmanpreet Kaur said that her brother's favourite cricketer was Yuvraj Singh, while Virender Sehwag was her favourite and whoever scored more runs among the two, the other person was teased throughout the day.
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Harmanpreet Kaur on Virender Sehwag's role in her cricketing career
Speaking about Virender Sehwag's influence on his cricketing life, Harmanpreet Kaur said that she was so fond of his batting that she feels she used to be more nervous than him before every match. She copied Sehwag's shots while batting at the ground and practised them a lot since she wished she could become like him one day.
Harmanpreet Kaur lauds Mithali Raj's contribution to Indian women's cricket
During the chat with Harsha Bhogle, Harmanpreet Kaur admitted that she would not have been able to match Mithali Raj's contribution to women's cricket even if she began her career with the Indian legend. Kaur said that Mithali Raj is a lot senior to her and she has not even played half the amount of cricket that she (Mithali Raj) has played.
While playing down comparisons with the former skipper, Harmanpreet Kaur said that Raj has been playing cricket for 20 years,and there’s no comparison between the two. Kaur also said that Raj has been contributing from a time when there was nothing for India’s women’s cricket and she only started performing when she had a ready platform on the other hand.
(IMAGE: HARMANPREET KAUR / INSTAGRAM)
17:49 IST, July 15th 2020