India leg-spinner Poonam Yadav said a stinging rebuke from skipper Harmanpreet Kaur on the opening night helped her take the ICC Women’s T2...
India leg-spinner Poonam Yadav said a stinging rebuke from skipper Harmanpreet Kaur on the opening night helped her take the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2020 by storm.
Yadav has been in devastating form throughout the tournament, unleashing a whirlwind of wrong’uns to snaffle nine wickets and see India through to Sunday’s final against Australia.
But it all started with a dressing-down from her captain after the leg-spinner was carted for six by Australia’s Alyssa Healy from her fourth delivery. She dismissed the opener the next ball, and hasn’t looked back since.
“Harmanpreet has been of immense support,” said Yadav. “When I got hit for a six in the first over, she came to me and said, ‘Poonam, you’re one of the most experienced players in the team, and we expect better of you’.
“So, that kind of stirred something within me. I told myself if my captain has that much faith in me, I should be able to make a comeback. I took a wicket in the very next ball, and didn’t look back since. Now when I look back at that moment, it means so much in the context of my individual performance and run to the final.”
Later in that pulsating opener at the Sydney Showground, Yadav came within...
