Harleen Deol Speaks After Guiding Gujarat Giants To Victory Despite Finger Injury
Harleen Deol scored a vital 31 and bagged one wicket (Twitter)
Indian cricketer Harleen Deol, who originally bowls leg-spin, has divulged that she resorted to bowling off-spin during Gujarat Giants' victory over the Delhi Capitals in Women's Premier League Match 14 due to a swollen finger, which she acquired after taking a sensational catch to dismiss Harmanpreet Kaur during their previous match against Mumbai Indians.
On Thursday, the Gujarat Giants set a target of 148 runs for the Delhi Capitals at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai. Harleen contributed to her team's success by scoring 31 runs and taking the crucial wicket of Jess Jonassen, ultimately leading to an 11-run victory for her side.
In an interview with Sports18, she was queried about her feelings after claiming a wicket in her opening over and her decision to bowl off-spin instead of her usual leg-spin. She expressed her elation and stated that her swollen finger compelled her to switch to off-spin, affirming that she was prepared to bowl any type of delivery to assist her team.
"I felt very good. Who will not feel good after picking up a wicket? My finger was swollen after taking Harry di's (Harmanpreet Kaur) catch. I said - 'I will bowl anything but bowl for sure, so don't take tension."
When questioned about her exceptional fielding abilities, the 24-year-old youngster explained that she dedicates considerable time and effort to practice taking spectacular catches. The right-handed batter stated that she did not have the opportunity to field much during the recent match, unlike the previous game, where she was constantly involved in the action.
"We practice a lot how to take such catches. In the last match, luckily the ball was coming to me all the time but today it didn't come to me at all."
Harleen was also quizzed about her strategy for dismissing Jess Jonassen at a critical juncture in the match. She revealed that her team had a simple plan of keeping the ball on the stumps, and they executed it flawlessly. Jonassen faced numerous dot balls, putting immense pressure on her and ultimately leading to her dismissal.
The Chandigarh-born cricketer has been in good form throughout the Women's Premier League, accumulating 186 runs in six games with a commendable strike rate of 124.83. She is tied with Alyssa Healy for fourth place in the race for the Orange Cap, with Meg Lanning, Ellyse Perry, and Shafali Verma leading the pack with 239, 205, and 187 runs, respectively.
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