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Sachin Tendulkar made special phone call to Harmanpreet Kaur's India night before World Cup final: ‘He shared his…’
Harmanpreet Kaur revealed that Sachin Tendulkar called the women's team night before the World Cup final.
Women's cricket in India attained a watershed moment last Sunday after the Harmanpreet Kaur-led side won the World Cup for the first time in their history. The hosts defeated South Africa by 52 runs in the final at the Dr DY Patil Stadium to be crowned the world champions. The India captain has now revealed that Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar rang the Indian women's side the night before the final, offering some words of wisdom.
It is worth mentioning that Tendulkar was also in attendance for the summit clash, alongside Rohit Sharma and Jay Shah. The Women in Blue came up with a memorable performance in front of a sold-out stadium to be crowned the new World Cup winners.
Speaking on the ICC Review, Harmanpreet revealed that Tendulkar shared his experience and asked the team to maintain the balance.
“The night before the match, Sachin (Tendulkar) sir called. He shared his experience and asked us to keep our balance. When the game is going fast, just slow it down a little,” Harmanpreet said.
“Try and control it because when you go too fast, chances are you can stumble. That’s what we need to avoid. I was just thinking of all the advice I was getting from the seniors. To keep control, stay patient, the moment will come, and you will be able to grasp it,” Harmanpreet added.
Also Read: The jersey switch that shook destiny: How Harmanpreet Kaur's move from 7 to 23 broke a jinx of decades
Shafali Verma was the Player of the Match in the final as she returned with a knock of 87 runs and then scalped two wickets. Deepti Sharma also scalped five wickets, and she was finally adjudged as Player of the Tournament.
Harmanpreet creates history
With the win on November 2, Harmanpreet became the first Indian woman and third Indian captain overall after Kapil Dev (1983) and Mahendra Singh Dhoni (2011) to lift a senior World Cup trophy for the country.
“To be honest, I’m not able to think about this right now. Maybe I will realise after a few months what we have achieved. What we have given our country. I can’t process this right now,” said the 36-year-old,
“I spoke about the same with Amol (Muzumdar) sir, it feels like we have won some bilateral series and we’re going back home. The impact of it is something we’ll realise in a few months. Right now, it just feels like a dream," she added.
Earlier, even Shafali had admitted that having a chat with Tendulkar just minutes before the final boosted her morale, and it helped her calm her nerves.
