Featuring at ninth among the top-10 run-getters in the Women’s Premier League this year, Harleen Deol is one of three Gujarat Giants players in the list, alongside the Australian duo of Beth Mooney and Ashleigh Gardner. Their contributions have gone a long way towards helping GG enter the Eliminator for the first time since the competition began in 2023.
The 26-year-old’s ongoing campaign is in stark contrast to last season, where she suffered a premature exit after an attempt to intercept the ball at the cover boundary resulted in a knee injury and a long layoff. Since returning from injury, Harleen has got back into India’s ODI team, notably smashing her first international ton against West Indies in Vadodara in December.
In an interview with The Hindu ahead of GG’s Eliminator against Mumbai Indians at the Brabourne Stadium on Thursday, Harleen reflected on her injury, her return to India’s 50-over set-up, her fielding ability and more. Excerpts:
Gujarat Giants has never beaten MI in six meetings. Where could the game on Thursday be won or lost?
Whenever you play big matches, it is just about handling the pressure the right way. Whoever does that is going to win. Mumbai have played two back-to-back matches and have just had a day’s break. They are coming off a loss (against Royal Challengers Bengaluru). So, they also have a challenge to overcome.
You have been batting well of late. Would you say this is the best you have batted in the WPL?
I won’t say I am batting at my best. I had a pretty good season in the first year too. But when you miss out one season, you keep feeling you have missed out on an opportunity. But that’s eventually how you learn things and that’s how you analyse. When you come back, you have got time to fill in the boxes that were lacking. For me, it has been like that. If I can play well in the next two matches, then I would say this is going to be my best (season).
What were your targets coming into the season? Was your preparation any different before this season?
I was doing rehab (laughs). No, I am not someone to give myself targets. In the initial stage, I was batting at No. 5. If I had told myself I have to make these many runs, how could I have achieved it at that position? For me, it’s more about how well you can handle the situation while batting, whether it is No. 6 or 3. Whatever the team demands, I have to accordingly just slot into that role. I am not someone to set targets. Even if you set targets, God has their own plans for you. I like to go like that.
How do you generally prepare for a T20 tournament?
I was just coming back from the ODI series. When you have scored runs in international cricket, you are more confident of doing it over here as well. This is a slightly different format. You have to just be proactive about the demands of this format. The preparation is a little different. I focus more on power-hitting. Eventually it is also about playing good cricketing shots. That also gives you those runs. So I don’t make things too complicated.
You have batted at No. 5 and also at 3. What is the position you are most comfortable at?
When you score runs, you feel comfortable at all positions. At No. 3, you get more time to settle in and then do what the team needs. I like to bat that way. But if I have to bat at the end, I am also prepared for that. Before going into a tournament, you just have to prepare for how your mindset should be for different positions. It is about how you have prepared.
When you are at No. 3, you said there is a bit more time on offer. How much does the mindset change?
When we are batting lower down, you just have to hit and bat at one gear. If you get out, you get out. At No. 3, you have to have different gears. As a player, you should know which gear works for you. There are times when you have to go with the flow. It’s all according to the situation.
How has it been to bat with Mooney and Gardner? Do you pick their brains about batting?
Obviously, they have such good international experience. They have done well in India. They have done well in all the countries. When you are batting with them, they are the kind who will keep discussing the things that can be done. They don’t put pressure on you. When I am batting with Mooney, she won’t just direct you to go after a certain bowler. So, she will keep giving ideas about how the ball is behaving, the areas that we can look to hit. So they keep discussing these things. It is very helpful for us that we can also look at the game like that. So you start looking at things a little differently.
You made your comeback into India’s ODI side in December and scored your first century against WI. How pleasing was that?
When you are making a comeback, you have to prove yourself. The people see you as an injured player and keep looking at how you have recovered. You have to be more prepared than how you used to be. For me, it has been like that. When you are making a comeback, everybody should know that you are back.
There wasn’t pressure, but when you go through a phase of injury, you just become more grateful about things. When you don’t have something, then you realise how important that thing was for you. Even though I was only playing domestic cricket initially after my comeback, I was just so happy to be on the field. I wasn’t as happy while scoring a fifty or hundred. I was happier to know that I had just started playing again. You keep learning through that phase.
India’s Harleen Deol celebrates her ODI century against West Indies at the Kotambi Stadium in Vadodara.
| Photo Credit:
FILE PHOTO: VIJAY SONEJI
You haven’t played a T20I for India since July 2023. Do you feel you have done enough to earn a comeback?
All these things are not in my control. If you get there, it’s good. If you don’t, you have to keep working harder to get those things. It’s as simple as that. You just have to keep following the process. You don’t have to keep planning about what will happen. You have to just react to how you are doing.
You suffered a knee injury three games into WPL 2024. How tough was that phase?
I never had such a long layoff previously. I also wonder now how I went through that phase. I couldn’t walk for weeks. It was tough, but I don’t feel it was too hard. You just keep learning things through those phases. It has taught me a lot and made me a better person. It helped me to deal with situations. I got time to analyse. The rehab was a little painful, but it taught me a lot of things. Whatever happens, happens for good. You get to know about the people who really care for you. There is more maturity now about how to deal with setbacks.
There are six overseas batters in the top 10 run-getters this season. From the Indian team’s perspective, should there be concern that more young domestic batters aren’t coming through?
If you see the IPL, it took so many years for these things to come in. There are impactful players coming in. You have just sown the seed, it takes time. Things are going in a good direction, whether it’s batting or bowling. Look at Bharti Fulmali. There’s Kashvee Gautam. There’s Kranti Goud. We just have to be a little more patient and you will see things turning around.
You are probably one of the best fielders going around. What went into you becoming good at it?
I was someone who would just keep playing with the ball in my formative years. The hand-eye coordination becomes a thing. Mainly it is just practice. If you see the good fielders, they are so fit. That is why they become good fielders. For me, fitness is a thing that has helped me become a good fielder. After my injury, it was more difficult to be where I was. When you have set the standard in international cricket, people don’t think about the fact that there will be a little hesitation about coming back from an injury. As I play more matches, it will fade away and I will start building more confidence. I am still getting there.
The overall fielding standards haven’t been that great in WPL. How can that improve going forward?
It is just a part of the game. Nobody wants to drop a catch. If you see youngsters now, they are trying to make sure they are good fielders. I am seeing a change. They know that the demand of the Indian team and the WPL is to be good in the fielding department.
Any fielder that you really admire?
These days, I love Glenn Phillips’ catches. He is amazing. Even Phoebe Litchfield. The way she moves around on the field is so good to see.
Published – March 13, 2025 12:14 am IST