Tags:
Journalism of Courage
With the Indian women’s cricket team returning with a silver medal from Birmingham Commonwealth Games, it was time for the families of captain Harmanpreet Kaur, all-rounder Harleen Deol and wicket-keeper Taniya Bhatia to give a rousing welcome to their daughters at the Mohali International Airport on Wednesday evening. While pacer Renuka Singh’s family from Parsa village near Rohru in Himachal Pradesh could not come to Chandigarh, the families of the other three cricketers welcomed Renuka at Mohali.
“It feels special to see the silver medal around Harmanpreet’s neck and it’s a special feeling for all her team-mates too. We were a bit disappointed to see them lose against Australia in the final but then this silver medal is a historic medal too for India. The Indian women’s cricket team competed in the Commonwealth Games for the first time and to see the Indian flag rise made us emotional,” said Harmander Bhullar, father of Harmanpreet Kaur, who was also accompanied by wife Satwinder Kaur.
While Harmanpreet was the sixth highest scorer in the Games, with a total of 137 runs including a fighting knock of 65 runs in the final against Australia, the 33-year-old Moga cricketer also picked up one wicket in the tournament.
Though the Indian women’s team lost the final by nine runs, it was only the second time that an Indian cricket team was competing in the Games, with the first time being in 1998 Kuala Lumpur Commonwealth Games.
“It feels good to see everyone welcome us here. I am disappointed too because we could have won the final match. But unfortunately, luck was not in our favour. We got a chance to meet players from other sports and also met the Indian hockey team members. I am sure that more parents will motivate their daughters to play the game,” said Harmanpreet.
Himachal pacer Renuka Singh Thakur, who claimed 11 wickets including two four-wicket hauls, rued the missed chances in the final but was glad the team won the silver medal. “We feel proud to return with a medal. It was a good experience and we played well as a unit. I would like to extend my thanks to Anurag Singh Thakur sir, who opened the HPCA Women’s Academy,” said Thakur.
24-year-old wicket-keeper Taniya Bhatia, who played in three matches in Birmingham, accounted for one stumped chance in the final apart from contributing with other players in three-run outs in the tournament. “Right from her childhood, Taniya only dreamt about being a wicket-keeper and it was heartening to see her play the specialised wicket-keeper role. It was unfortunate that she faced concussion in the final and could not bat. I will be welcoming her with aarti at our home along with my elder daughter Sanjana and my husband Sanjay Bhatia and son Sehaj, “said Sapna Bhatia, mother of Taniya.
Mohali all-rounder 24-year-old Harleen Deol, an alumnus of Yadavindra Public School, Mohali, and MCM DAV College, Chandigarh, played in India’s opening match against Australia. While mother Charanjit Kaur Deol was waiting for her daughter to come, she also hugged pacer Renuka Singh. “Whenever Harleen comes back from tour or the Indian camp, she likes to spend time at home having her favourite food. It will be the same for her for the next few days as she would like to celebrate the medal with home cooked food,” said Deol.
