This will forever be remembered as the game where Harmanpreet Kaur went berserk. And of course, the game where the sprinklers went off. For those who couldn’t catch the game live, the sprinklers in the outfield at the Arun Jaitley Stadium sprang into action in the middle of the 19^th over, causing a 15-minute delay and forcing the groundsmen to bring on the super-soppers to dry out the ground. Nat Sciver-Brunt brings us the team reactions amidst the madness, and talks about a range of topics in the post-match press conference. Excerpts..  

First thoughts on Harman’s crazy knock

Pretty insane. After the time-out, they had a chance to decide how they wanted to go about it and they discussed it with Lottie (Charlotte Edwards). Harman (Harmanpreet Kaur) just switched it on. We have seen it a few times and it was pretty incredible.

On the approach Harman adopts while batting

She has days where she is really firing, and one of those days was today on the field, and when she came back into the dressing room, she was really focused. Melie (Kerr) said she had that look in her eye. She needed to do what she wanted to do, and executed it. She was in the zone when were in the dugout. She knew the job at hand, and when she got the chance she took it.

Thoughts on going into the timeout while bowling

We already discussed about Sajana (Sajeevan) bowling before we took the timeout. Having the timeout was very useful when we were going around the park. It’s difficult when you are in the game to get that perspective. And so it was really good for Jhulan and Lottie to come on and help us see things from a different side of the pitch. To get that wicket was obviously important. At one point they looked like getting 200-220. It was good to take a few more wickets after the break, which was useful.

Reactions within the MI camp when the sprinklers went off

Jhulan was very annoyed, and so were some other players. I thought it was ridiculous and I started laughing when the sprinklers came on. We were a bit worried it would halt our momentum because we’d had two or three good overs. But Melie said Harman told her ‘it’s good, we need a break. We have a rest and we can keep going’. Even in that moment she was really focused.

On whether the result of the UPW-DC match last night caused a worry while chasing tonight

We didn’t think too much on last night. We knew from the game we played two nights ago against Delhi that we didn’t bat well at all in that game, but we were only 20 runs short. So actually, with the shorter side as well, it allows you to take advantage of that when a batter is in. We knew if we took it deep enough and we managed to get ourselves in a good position, it was there to win. The ground is hard to defend on this wicket.

On how Harman is on game day

Game day is different. She is different on game day. When we are in the hotel, she is relaxed with the group. On game day she is a lot more focused and tunnel-visioned on what the task is. I’ve noticed that. When she bats, she’s not often flustered about things like when she hasn’t gotten to a good start. Like we saw today, she doesn’t need to. She believes in herself and her ability. She has played some special knocks over the years against all international sides and in the WPL. When the pressure is on, she enjoys being out there.

On the discussions between Harman and her while batting

She does keep to herself and is focused. I like to voice things so that I don’t think about it too much, and it gives me clarity. She allows me to do that. So far we have batted well together. As a senior player in the team and part of a wider leadership group, we are able to share our thoughts, and that is why we have won a few games.