Harmanpreet Kaur blazes a broad trail in women's cricket

India cricket captain Harmanpreet Kaur has already made a big impact in the Women's Big Bash League. The 29-year-old Sydney Thunder player smashed the second-fastest half-century in the competition’s history earlier this season. Preetinder Singh Grewal reports........

Source: Supplied

Harmanpreet Kaur is one of the biggest stars in women's cricket. 

She has become a pioneer for the game, both in India and abroad.

But as a child growing up in northern India, she played the sport with boys.

“When I was growing up, I used to watch my dad playing cricket. And with his friends and the little boys, I used to play cricket. I was, I think, in 11th or 10th standard (grade) the first time I played with girls. And I think that was the turning point, and I really enjoyed playing for school cricket and then club cricket, and this is how I started,” she says.

Kaur was 15 years old when a cricket coach spotted her playing a game with a group of boys and really triggered the change.

He approached her with the idea of setting up a cricket academy just for girls.

"One of my cricket coaches, he came to me and said, if I'm interested, he can open a girls' cricket academy for me, and then I was quite shocked. And I give full credit to him. I think, because of him, I started playing cricket, and I think he played a big role in my life."

Harmanpreet credits this success to her India-based cricket coach. Source: Supplied

Kaur has gone onto become a trailblazer for the sport in India.

She was appointed captain of her country in 2013 and has scored more than 4,000 international runs.

In 2016, she became the first Indian cricketer, male or female, to sign a contract with a side in Australia's domestic Twenty 20 league.

The 29-year-old has played for the Sydney Thunder in the Women's Big Bash League ((WBBL)) for three seasons now. She says the competition is leading the way for women's cricket.

"There are really good facilities. We have a very good sports staff, good training, it's top cricket. You can focus on your fitness level, also. And I think, when you have this type of set-up, you can always grow as a player, and I think that is the reason that I always like to play WBBL."

Kaur says the WBBL, which started in 2015, will inspire the next generation of women's cricket players.

"I think this is a great initiative taken by the Australian board. They're inviting little girls to come and watch and get the opportunity to play with their favourite stars."

Kaur recently hit the fastest half-century in Thunder history.

That story by Adrian Arciuli for SBS News, produced by Preetinder Singh Grewal for SBS Punjabi.

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