Mentally strong’ Harleen Deol battles injury to rise: Could not pick up a bottle

For Harleen Deol, pre-Christmas turned out to be special. The right-handed batter raced to her maiden ODI hundred, not only guiding India through to a 115-run win against the West Indies, but also an unassailable 2-0 lead in the ODI series. Harleen won the Player of the Match award as India completed back-to-back series wins over Hayley Matthews and Co.

But 2024 also saw Harleen go through tumultuous times. Back in March, Harleen sustained a knee injury during the Women’s Premier League (WPL) while playing for the Gujarat Giants (GG) in their match against UP Warriorz. She was subsequently ruled out of the remainder of the tournament, where the Giants finished at the bottom of the table.

Harleen made her comeback in the ODI series on Australian soil where she scored 70 runs at an average of 23.33. On Tuesday, the 26-year-old got to her fifty off 62 balls, after which she notched her century off 98 balls, helping India post their joint-highest ODI score of 358.

‘Mom never got irritated’

Recalling the times when she was off the park, Harleen said that she found it tough to walk and pick up water bottles, crediting her mother for being by her side through thick and thin.

“When I was there I was only thinking how happy my mother would be. When I was going through the injury, there were many around me, but my mom never got irritated as I could not walk. If I wanted to pick up a bottle of water, I could not,” Harleen said in a video on BCCI Women.

Jemimah Rodrigues, who made 52 runs off 36 balls, was also elated after Harleen reached the major landmark. The 24-year-old talked about Harleen’s struggles during rehabilitation.

“For those who don’t know, Harry had an ACL injury and, I remember, she had a surgery in Mumbai where I met her. All she had to do was get her legs straight for her rehabilitation. I remember sitting there and saw tears falling down Harry’s face. As a friend, I could not see it and from that day to now, I was so happy; I was at the non-striker’s end and I got extra emotional when she scored a hundred,” Jemimah said.

‘One day at a time’

Harleen, who has also played 24 T20Is, said that she has become mentally tougher after winning small battles while recovering from injury.

“When you go through rehab, you become mentally strong after you overcome the small challenges. We plan for a lot of things, but it doesn’t go that way. I am someone who takes one day at a time, enjoy the time and enjoy the moment,” Harleen added.

Harleen is the leading run-scorer in the series, having scored 159 runs from two games at an average of 79.50 and a strike-rate of 103.92. The third and final ODI is set to be held on Friday, December 27 with India looking for a whitewash.