Kolkata: After her stellar performances in the recently concluded Women’s World Cup in England, all-rounder Harmanpreet Kaur who was awarded with the post of Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) said that it was her childhood dream to work with the Punjab Police.
The star cricketer met Capt Amarinder Singh, the Chief Minister of Punjab on Wednesday after which she felt proud and lucky and said that it was a , ‘dream-come-true’ moment for her.
“I am feeling very proud after meeting the Punjab Chief Minister. It was my childhood dream to join Punjab Police and it is getting fulfilled today. I am very happy. I am feeling very lucky,” said Harmanpreet.
She took matters into her own hands against Australia in the semi-finals as he smashed her way to an unbeaten knock of 171 runs that helped India post a challenging total which the Australians weren’t able to chase down eventually.
She also played a crucial 51-run knock in the final against England but failed to take her team over the line as they fell short in the end by an agonizing margin of nine runs.
But Harmanpreet is looking forward to put up a complete show in the future. She said, “Unfortunately we lost in the finals. But we will try to improve our performance in the coming days as well.”
The swashbuckling all-rounder also added that she is looking forward to open cricket academies with the help of Capt. Amarinder Singh which would help boys and girls nurture their love for the sport.
Singh however had words of praise for Harmanpreet who not only made the state but also the entire country proud of her performance in the World Cup.
He said, “She played a brilliant game and it’s because of her India came into the finals. We are very proud that she is from Punjab and now she is going to be permanently with us in the Punjab Police.She is going to keep Punjab flag flying. She will be appointed as DSP.”
After her belligerent knock against the Australians, the Punjab Chief Minister had already announced a cash reward of ₹5 lakhs for Harmanpreet, who is currently an employee of the Railways.
She was awarded with the money in the presence of Director General of Police Suresh Arora who said, “This is a proud moment for us (Punjab Police). I am really grateful to the government also that they took a decision to offer her a post of DSP in Punjab Police.”
Fast bowler Shikha Pandey was felicitated by the Indian Air Force Chief Marshal Virender Singh Dhanoa. Pandey played a crucial role in India’s ascension to the finals and bowled well consistently all throughout.
In the league stages, she took two wickets against England, three against South Africa and in the semi-final against Australia, she took two wickets conceding just 17 runs.
She has been a regular in the team since her debut in 2014 and is also the first player from Services to represent the country.
Deepti starts training
All-rounder Deepti Sharma has begun practising for the upcoming T20 World Cup in 2018 and wants to win the cup for India after missing out on the World Cup some time back.
“Now my aim is to make India champion in the T20I World Cup, scheduled to be held next year. And in a bid to prepare for the shorter format of the game, I have started batting with wet tennis ball in the camp,” she said in an interview with One India.