OTD In 2017: Harmanpreet Kaur Roared 171* In World Cup Semi vs Australia

Kaushik Kashyap

Harmanpreet Kaur 171* vs Australia. [Source - SirJadeja/x.com]Harmanpreet Kaur 171* vs Australia. [Source - SirJadeja/x.com]

On July 20, 2017, the world watched in awe as Harmanpreet Kaur delivered an innings that defied logic, pressure, and expectations. It was not just a knock, it was a storm, a statement, a seismic shift in women’s cricket. Her unbeaten 171 off 115 balls against mighty Australia in the 2017 World Cup semi-final became more than a performance, it became a moment of national pride.

Harmanpreet’s Unforgettable Innings Destroyed Six-Time World Champions

Harmanpreet Kaur vs Australia 2017 WC SF. [Source - BCCI Women]Harmanpreet Kaur vs Australia 2017 WC SF. [Source - BCCI Women]

India walked into the semi-final against then six-time champions Australia as underdogs. Heavy rain before the toss reduced the clash to 42 overs per side, adding unpredictability to an already high-stakes game at Derby. India won the toss and opted to bat first. As early wickets fell, heavy hopes rested on Harmanpreet Kaur’s shoulders, who came out at 4 and rose, not with intent from the start, but with purpose that soon turned into fury.

Harmanpreet first stitched a steady 66-run stand with skipper Mithali Raj as India crawled past 100 with 26 overs gone. The scoring was slow, tension high, until a moment flipped everything. Australian spinner Kristen Beams bowled a no-ball in the 27th over, and it woke up a beast. Harmanpreet followed it with a towering six and a thundering four, bringing up her fifty in 64 balls and it was game on.

Battling with multiple injuries and exhaustion, Harmanpreet unleashed a breathtaking assault. Her shots were not just powerful, they were bows to Australia's World Cup Final hope. She tore apart the Australian attack, dancing down the pitch, clearing the ropes with utmost ease. As she raised her bat after a hundred, raw emotion took over. She screamed, she roared, she lived the moment and cricket fans across the world felt the chills. This was personal. This was war.

She blasted her way from fifty to a hundred in just 26 balls, and even that fiery century was only the beginning of her unstoppable assault. In the next 25 deliveries, she continued her relentless onslaught, adding another 71 runs and smashing multiple records along the way, etching her name into cricketing history.

171 Not Out Immortalised Forever

In just 115 balls, Harmanpreet scored an unbeaten 171, hammering 20 fours and 7 sixes, taking India to a mammoth 281 in a rain-reduced 42-over game. Deepti Sharma played the perfect second fiddle, adding a crucial 137 runs for the fourth wicket. What began as a struggle, with India Women looking unable to reach 200, transformed into a commanding total that left the defending champions stunned.

It was a storm of fours and sixes that Australia never saw coming. Harmanpreet’s knock was fearless and calculated, wild yet precise. It was not just her highest score, it became the highest by any Indian in Women’s World Cup history. Legends are often quiet, but her innings roared loud, shaking the cricketing world and inspiring generations to come.

Australia tried to fight, but the huge total set by Harmanpreet was just too much for them to chase. India secured a 36-run victory, and with it, a place in the World Cup final, for the second time in their history.

The Knock That Changed Women's Cricket Forever

If we look at the bigger picture, Harmanpreet did not just win a match, she ignited a movement. Little girls across India suddenly believed cricket was not just a dream. Her knock pierced through generations, cultures, and boundaries. That day, women’s cricket in India did not just get noticed, it got a new birth.

“171 not out” is more than a score, it is a memory, a battle cry, a reminder of what belief and brilliance can do. It was the knock that changed women’s cricket in India forever. The rise of young talent, the growing spotlight and even the WPL, the seeds of this revolution were firmly sown on that unforgettable day in Derby.

Even today, the echoes of that innings ripple through time. On this day, Harmanpreet Kaur gave Indian cricket its fiercest, most emotional chapter. And every time we watch that knock, the goosebumps return, because magic, once witnessed, never fades.