Every athlete wants a fairytale ending. There’s nothing quite like going out on high. Pete Sampras won his 14th and last Grand Slam at his home, the 2002 US Open, and bid the sport adieu. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma did something similar after they retired from T20I cricket after winning the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Emotional after semifinal win
In 2 days, Harmanpreet Kaur will be looking to do the same. The current India captain had made her 50-over and international debut at the 2009 Women’s ODI World Cup and would perhaps want to leave the format at the very same event, 16 years later.
Harmanpreet has featured in 5 editions of the ICC tournament and hasn’t been able to get her hands on that cup. She came close in 2017, but in the end, England emerged victorious. On November 2 in Navi Mumbai, Harmanpreet might get her last chance to fulfil this dream.
During the India vs Australia semifinal, the Indian captain was spotted sitting teary-eyed in the dugout, even before India won the match. After Amanjot Kaur hit the winning run, emotions got the better of her. She cried in delight. It looked like immense weight had been lifted from her shoulders.
Harmanpreet Kaur to retire from ODI cricket?
But why was she emotional? Was it perhaps that Harmanpreet has either decided or knows deep down that this India vs South Africa final will be the last chance to win the Women’s ODI World Cup? Is 50-over retirement on her mind?
After the semifinal ended, Australia captain Alyssa Healy confirmed that she won’t be playing any more ICC ODI events. Harmanpreet’s counterpart is a year younger than her. Healy knows her time has come, but does Harmanpreet think the same?
Anjum Chopra won’t be surprised that the veteran batter pulls the plug. The former India captain herself retired from cricket at 35 and therefore knows what goes on in a player’s mind during the fag end of their career.
“100% she’s thinking about it. Every player knows where they stand at the moment,” Anjum told InsideSport in an exclusive conversation.
But the cricketer-turned-commentator thinks that it won’t be something that’s heavily discussed in the Indian dressing room. Since retirement is a personal decision, she’ll surely be thinking about it but as a senior player and captain of the team, she won’t like her teammates to focus on her instead of winning the Women’s ODI World Cup.
“I won’t say it’s the most important discussion within the dressing room or the thought process within her,” she added.
