Life is bigger than sports as the latter is bound to end in an athlete’s life one day. But if the game runs in one’s blood then it is difficult to look beyond. For India T20I captain Harmanpreet Kaur, an attacking batswoman who aimed to emulate Virender Sehwag, thinking anything beyond cricket brings her back to the middle of the field.

Mithali Raj-less India was knocked out at the 2018 ICC Women’s World T20 semi-final by eventual runners-up England. The eight wicket defeat resulted in fans blaming Kaur for dropping Raj. It left the cricketing fraternity confused and triggered a war of words between Raj and former head coach Ramesh Powar. The controversy finally ended with the appointment of new head coach WV Raman.

Kaur admitted that India was hungry for the 2018 World T20 title and cited the team’s consistency built over months before the tournament. With the 2020 edition scheduled to take place in Australia, the India T20I captain said the team has improved and is hoping for the best going forward.

“I have never made long term plans. So even if I am made to think anything it would just be somewhere in the middle of the field playing cricket,” Kaur told before leaving for the Women’s Super League, also called KIA Super League, in the UK.

The journey of a cricketer is seldom free of the thought of getting away from the sport for a while the reasons being better known to them for they are the ones who have actually lived in that moment. The Punjab-born, too, went through a period that now has made her sure of her potential following her time spent well at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore.

“2018 World Cup was something we all craved for because of the form and consistency that we built as a team for the last couple of months before the tournament. We were very confident and motivated. One odd day can change everything. But all that we learned from the experience is to do better and not get disheartened. Our team has improved and we are hoping the best from the 2020 World Cup,” she said.

India toured New Zealand as part of ICC Women’s Championship in January this year. Kaur suffered a blip in form during the three T20Is as she managed to score only 17, 5 and 2.

After getting whitewashed in the backyard of New Zealand, India returned to host England in February-March but Kaur was forced to miss the series as she sustained an ankle injury, paving the way for Smriti Mandhana to lead the T20I team in her absence.

Thoughts of taking a break from the game crossed Kaur’s mind, only to realise it was a temporary phase. She came out stronger and rediscovered her love for cricket before the start of the Women’s T20 Challenge.

“The break did give me the time to think and recover from my injury. I spent more time in my rehab. Getting away from cricket for a while did cross my mind but it was not for good. It was just a temporary phase and not anything permanent. I am very headstrong and cricket has been my passion and love of this lifetime,” she remarked.

Following the long feud between Raj and Kaur, the two met at the Women’s T20 Challenge final. The latter’s match-winning 51 guided Supernovas beat Velocity by four wickets. The tournament made an impact as it garnered the attention of 13000-plus locals who turned up for the final in Jaipur.