Where There Were No Girls, Harmanpreet Kaur Still Came to Play

Long before Harmanpreet Kaur became one of the most recognisable faces of Indian women’s cricket, her journey began on the grounds of Moga, Punjab, where finding another girl with a cricket bat was itself unusual.

For her father, Harmander Singh Bhullar, that was never a reason to hold her back.

At a time when few families in the area sent their daughters to play on cricket grounds, Bhullar encouraged Harmanpreet to train alongside boys. What mattered to him was not whether cricket was considered a sport for girls, but whether his daughter had the opportunity to pursue something she could excel at.

“People did not send their daughters to the ground. Main kade koi fark nai kitta ladki-ladke vich. I knew she had to do well in life, and she is doing that,” Bhullar recalled.

Years later, watching his daughter lead the Indian women’s cricket team to an Asian Games gold medal became the fulfilment of an ambition that had taken shape when she was still a child.

“She has reached where I always wanted her to be,” he said.

Behind Bhullar’s determination to support his daughter was his own unfinished relationship with sport.

As a youngster, he played several games, including basketball and cricket, and was selected for sporting events. But family responsibilities eventually took precedence, leaving him unable to pursue sport further.

“When I was young, I used to play several sports, including basketball and cricket, and I was selected for various games. But I was never encouraged to go ahead because of the responsibilities at home,” he said.

The experience stayed with him. When Harmanpreet, his first child, was born, Bhullar decided that she would not have to give up an opportunity simply because circumstances or convention stood in the way.

“After Harman was born, I had decided that no matter what, I would encourage her to play,” he recalled.

Her introduction to cricket began simply. Bhullar would give his young daughter a plastic bat to play with at home and later started taking her to the ground. An avid cricket follower himself, he imagined that she might one day take the game much further.

“I loved watching cricket and thought that one day my daughter would also play,” he said.

That encouragement became particularly significant in an environment where girls playing competitive cricket were still uncommon. Harmanpreet nevertheless continued to practise, often sharing the field with boys rather than waiting for a separate space to emerge for girls.

Her ability soon caught the attention of coaches.

Kamaldeesh Pal Singh Sodhi, one of Harmanpreet’s early coaches, began training her when she was in Class 9. He remembers a young player whose work ethic was matched by her pace on the field.

“She was a great fast bowler and very hardworking,” Sodhi recalled.

Her speed also made an impression on his son, who once played a match with Harmanpreet.

“When my son first played a match with Harman, he said, ‘Eh taan badi tez hai’ (she is very fast),” Sodhi said.

For the coach, Harmanpreet’s eventual rise was hardly surprising. The determination that would later define her international career, he said, was already evident during those early years in Moga.

“She had to reach here,” Sodhi said.

From practising on grounds where girls were a rarity to captaining India on the international stage, Harmanpreet’s journey has unfolded across a dramatically changing landscape for women’s cricket. But for her father, its beginnings remain rooted in a much simpler decision: when his daughter wanted to play, he made sure she had a place on the field.