She has been a vital cog for India in a number of knockout games against Australia. Who can ever forget her epic 171* against them in India’s 2017 semi-final win at Derby?

Eight years on, in another World Cup semi-final against the Aussies, Harmanpreet once again dug deep to summon a knock of substance. With Jemimah playing an inspired innings, the experienced batter played her part when India needed it the most, producing a high tempo 88-ball 89 to play a critical role in hosts’ five-wicket victory.

The legend of Harmanpreet was formed in Derby in 2017, it grew further in 2025 at DY PatIl, Navi Mumbai.

It was a performance which showed why she is considered a big match player. She had a relatively quiet World Cup so far. Except for an innings of 70, she didn’t have much to show for. But when her team was down for the count in a chase of 339, the famous Harmanpreet temperament came to the fore.

What stands out for the veteran batter from Punjab is the skill to play the field or come up with the big hits to take the game to the opposition. The Australians knew what they were up against in the India captain. With India 60/2 in 10 overs and India’s in-form batter Smriti Mandhana out early, she took the bull by the horns.

When asked about the frustration of seeing the same player pulling it off again, Australia captain Alyssa Healy said, “Frustration is probably not the right word. I mean, they’re two high quality cricketers and have been for a long period of time for India, and we knew that it’s a good wicket, good batting conditions, and we probably just allowed them into the game a little bit by not sticking to our strengths with the ball for long enough. So, kudos to them. I thought they played really well, and Harman seems to step up in those big moments whenever India needs her. She’s going to have to do it all again on Sunday to get them over the line.”

While captains of most of the top teams in the ICC Women’s World Cup had played statement knocks during the tournament – Healy had back to back hundreds including a magnificent 142 against India earlier in the league phase – a special knock from the India skipper was missing coming into the knock-outs. In the league match at Visakhapatnam, Australia had got Harmanpreet for 22. She was clearly not her usual fluent self, falling to soft dismissals. On Thursday, she was more compact in technique, was waiting for the ball to come to her and the shot selection was better. With the quality knock, she had ticked that important box too.

Asked about the difference between Harmanpreet the way she played in the league game against them and Thursday, Australia coach Shelley Nitschke said, “She (Harmanpreet) is always a threat and a really good player, She just played beautifully, played the conditions well, she played at a good tempo. Her and Jemi often bat well together. That was a really big partnership. We knew it was important to break that but we were not able to do that. Those two together have had some good partnerships against us before. I didn’t notice any technical changes but obviously a very classy player.”

No one can quite define the meaning of big match temperament better than Australian cricketers since they have the knack of raising their game every time they step into a knock-out game. Elysse Perry again played a fine hand of 77 in the semi-final.

Speaking about the big performers of the game, Perry said, “In big matches across two teams there is so much talent, so much experience, exceptional performers, so someone is going to have a day out and today I thought obviously Phoebe (Litchfield) was exceptional (119 runs). The way Ash (Ashleigh Gardner) finished the innings (63 runs) was brilliant as well. On the flip side, that partnership between Harman and Jemimah was special. They are two stalwarts of the team, they were brilliant, they made it count in their home conditions.”

“All of us in our dressing room will applaud Harman and Jemi the way they played, the chase after losing two early wickets in the powerplay, they just made us pay. Credit goes to them rather than anything we did or didn’t do well.”