India captain Harmanpreet Kaur recently opened up about one of the most intense dressing-room moments during Team India’s successful ICC Women’s World Cup campaign, revealing how usually calm and soft-spoken head coach Amol Muzumdar delivered a fiery message after the team suffered three consecutive defeats during the tournament.
Despite beginning the World Cup with wins over Sri Lanka and arch-rivals Pakistan, India’s campaign hit a rough patch after losses against South Africa, Australia and England.
However, the Women in Blue bounced back strongly, eventually defeating Australia in the semifinal before overcoming South Africa in the final to lift the coveted title.
Harmanpreet reveals Amol Muzumdar’s emotional dressing-room speech
Speaking on JioStar’s Unstoppable, Harmanpreet revealed that Amol Muzumdar’s passionate speech after the defeat against England became a major turning point for the team during the tournament.
The Indian skipper admitted that it was one of the rare occasions where she saw the coach raise his voice inside the dressing room.
"After the England match, I think Amol sir was the only one who spoke, and he was very straightforward. Everybody took it in the right spirit because we all knew there was nothing wrong in what he was saying," Harmanpreet said.
"That was the first time I saw his volume go a little high because he is usually a very soft-spoken person. I remember him saying, ‘Go and buy a mirror and see what you're doing and what you need to do at that stage,'" she added.
India had narrowly lost the match against England by just four runs while chasing a target of 289, making the defeat even harder to digest for the team.
However, the dressing-room reality check from Muzumdar eventually helped India regroup and peak at the right time during the knockout stages.
India bounced back strongly after rough patch in World Cup
Following the string of defeats, India managed to recover brilliantly during the latter stages of the tournament.
The Women in Blue defeated New Zealand to stay alive in the competition before qualifying for the semifinals after their game against Bangladesh was washed out.
India then stunned defending champions Australia in the semifinal with a record-breaking chase before defeating South Africa in the final to win the World Cup title.
Harmanpreet also spoke about staying away from social media during major tournaments, saying she avoids reading outside opinions because it can become mentally draining.
"I do not like to read too much into it. Maybe after the tournament, I go through a few things which I think are important. Because I also know that if I am doing well, I know I am doing well, and if I am not doing well, I do not need to read what others are thinking or take advice from everyone," Harmanpreet said.
Currently, India are leading the ongoing three-match series 1-0 and will begin their ICC Women’s T20 World Cup campaign against Pakistan on June 14 in Birmingham.