Navi Mumbai, Jan 14 (IANS) Mumbai Indians all-rounder Amanjot Kaur praised her skipper Harmanpreet Kaur after the latter’s match-winning knock against the Gujarat Giants on Tuesday at the DY Patil Stadium as the two-time champions handed the Ashleigh Gardner-led side their first defeat of the season.

Amanjot unleashed the beast within during the clash against GG, notched up a 26-ball 40, and contributed brilliantly during her team’s chase before Harmanpreet finished off with an unbeaten 43-ball 71 and took her team over the finish line.

The duo put on a 72-run stand and anchored Mumbai’s innings after G Kamalini and Hayley Matthews were sent packing in the powerplay.

“I am blessed. In fact, we are all blessed to witness the Harmanpreet Kaur era,” Amanjot said about batting with Harmanpreet during the post-match press conference. “As long as she is on the ground, nobody feels like switching off even for a second. Last year, she played a superb knock as well. You don’t feel the pressure while batting with her.”

“Although I haven’t batted a lot with Harman di, but I knew that because she was around, I didn’t have to worry about boundaries because she would create them. I have learnt a lot of game awareness from here. She hit an inswinger over the covers, which was very difficult. When it hits the middle of her bat, you don’t have to look, it is a six for sure,” she added.

On getting to bat at number three, she stated, “Unfortunately, Nat had to miss out because she had food poisoning. I was asked if I wanted to bat at number three, and I said I was happy to bat wherever the team needed me to bat.”

When asked about her thoughts before going in to bat during a big chase, Amanjot stated, “That depends on the situation. We were chasing a big and Kamalini got out early. With Hayley, the discussion was to capitalise on the powerplay.

“When Harry di (Harmanpreet) came in, we discussed me going after the bat balls. Since it was a big total, we planned that one of us would stay till the end, which she did and finished the game.”

The all-rounder has been playing a finisher’s role of late, and she credited the Mumbai Indians for helping her evolve in the role.

“MI has played a huge role in my role evolving. In domestic cricket, I would always play as an opener. I had never batted at number eight. God has been very kind to me. My debuts have been very good. This was my first World Cup as well. After injuries as well, my comebacks have been really good. It took me some time to get into this role.

“Before the WPLs, we would have these camps where the coaches would tell us where they see us and what they expect from us. That really helped us. I knew I would get 10-15 balls to face only and I would have to make an impact in that. MI has had a huge role for me,” she said.

Amanjot’s bowling, meanwhile, still looks like a work in progress. While she contributed brilliantly with the bat, she went on to concede 48 runs in her four-over spell, costing the team big time.

“We have both Shambin (Ismail) and Jhulu di (Jhulan Goswami), both stalwarts of the game. Also with Nat, Amelia and Hayley, we keep having discussions. You can never stop learning in cricket. You have to prove everyday why you are here and playing and not someone else. I am working on my bowling, and I am trying to be consistent,” Amanjot said of her bowling.

–IANS

vi/bc