Harmanpreet Kaur's 171: When a woman showed world how the 'Gentleman's game' is played

2017 The Women's World Cup semi-final witnessed one of the finest innings ever in the sport after India's Harmanpreet Kaur slammed a 115-ball 171 against defending champions Australia at Derby.

PTI

New Delhi: The 2017 ICC Women's World Cup semi-final witnessed one of the finest innings ever in the sport after India's Harmanpreet Kaur slammed a 115-ball 171 against defending champions Australia at Derby.

Slamming a whopping 20 fours and 7 sixes, the 28-year-old made Australia's otherwise flawless bowling attack look miserable and amassed the highest ever individual total by an Indian at the World Cups.

After India lost both openers – Smriti Mandhana and Punam Raut – early,  it was Mithali Raj who solidified and took India past the 100-run mark with Harmanpreet at the other end.

The skipper's departure made Harmanpreet shift gear and she just didn't stop from there. The batter from Punjab kept on increasing the pace of her scoring. While partners in the form of Mithali, Deepti Sharma and Veda Krishnamurthy kept coming and going, Harmanpreet only had one target in mind – to score a total on board that even the 6-time champions Aussies will find hard to chase.

Female version of Yuvraj Singh, as a few fans in the stands would call her, Harmanpreet batted like as if this is the final and there won't be a next match ever in her career.

While commentators were saying that they haven't seen the figures of left-arm spinner Jess Jonasen (0/63 in 7 overs), as bad as today, the off-break bowler Ashleigh Gardner (1/43 in 8 overs) and leg-spinner Kirsten Beans (1/49 in 8 overs) also faced the wrath of the in-form Indian batter.

Despite suffering a blow to her hamstring, her footwork remained exemplary as she repeatedly came down the track to hit the Aussie bowlers in the arc between long-on and deep mid-wicket.

The last few overs of the innings pumped up to accelerate even further as smacked eight fours and five sixes in just 25 balls to complete her 171 and take India a total of 281, which even for a team of the stature of Australia was gigantic.