Manchester, June 21 (IANS) India captain Harmanpreet Kaur will become the first cricketer to play 200 T20I when she takes the field against South Africa in the 2026 Women’s T20 World Cup Group A clash at Old Trafford, with teammates Smriti Mandhana, Deepti Sharma and head coach Amol Muzumdar hailing the milestone as ‘unbelievable’ and ‘phenomenal.’

Vice‑captain Smriti said the achievement reflected Harmanpreet’s grit and work ethic. “It’s an unbelievable achievement to play 200 T20 internationally. Playing 200 matches in all formats itself is such a huge thing. Just to play it in one format is, I feel, a crazy achievement. I think looking at her work really hard, she’s had a lot of niggles, I would say, along the way.

“But she’s battled all of that with a lot of grit and work ethic. I see her work hard even in a lot of pain, I feel it’s always very motivating. Not only for me, I mean even the youngsters. Playing your 200th match itself is such a big honour. But playing it in a World Cup is even bigger and better and in such a crucial game for us

“It’s in the place where we are in the group and you always get a lot of fire on the field. So go out there and play with a lot of passion, which you have always done and hopefully you just keep playing and winning matches from here,” she said in a video posted on BCCI’s social media accounts.

Meanwhile, Muzumdar underlined the uniqueness of the feat. “No cricketer has gone on to do that in the world. This itself tells you how phenomenal a feat this is. I keep on saying that we are able to see somebody like Harmanpreet Kaur in full flow.

“If I have to pick only one, then it would be the leadership qualities. She is a complete leader. I consider myself really lucky that I am part of this dressing room where Harmanpreet Kaur is the captain. Enjoy the rest of your time on the cricket ground and hope you achieve a lot of laurels. One message to Harmanpreet Kaur would be, Oye Chak de phatte (go for it)!”

Deepti, the off-spin bowling all-rounder, also paid a glowing tribute to Harmanpreet. “Hats off to you because this is not an ordinary thing. You become first in the world to play your 200th T20I match. Congratulations Harry di on your 200th T20 game.

“We are glad that we are playing in your team and you are leading us. Nothing could be better than this. Just wish you that you go well like in your 200 games so far and get to play another 200 matches.”

–IANS

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