Harmanpreet Kaur: 15 facts you must know about Indian women team's star vice-captain

New Delhi: Harmanpreet Kaur, the vice-captain of the Indian women's cricket team, created quite a stir within the cricketing fraternity with her phenomenal batting during India's 2017 World Cup campaign in England. And thus, BCCI has recommended her name for this year's Arjuna Award.

The Moga-based cricketer shot to fame especially after her breathtaking unbeaten 171 off 115 deliveries against the mighty Australians that took India to her second World Cup final. She had even displayed her batting prowess during the final at Lord's, where the Women in Blue went down by a narrow five runs.  

Here are 15 facts you out to know about India's sparkling vice-captain:

1) Harmanpreet Kaur was born on March 8, 1989, to Harmandar Bhullar, a volleyball, and a basketball player.

2) Young Kaur stepped into the Gentlemen's game after a chance meeting with cricket coach Kamaldeesh Singh Sodhi, after which she joined Gian Jyoti School Academy at village Tarapur.

3) Later impressed with her batting prowess, Kamaldeesh included him into the Moga-district team to participate in the Punjab's Inter-District tournament.

4) It was back in 2009 that the then 20-year-old Harmanpreet Kaur made her debut for the Indian side, against arch-rivals Pakistan in the ICC Women's World Cup in Australia.

5) A few months later she made her T20I debut against England in the ICC Women's World Twenty20.

6) In 65 ODI innings, Kaur has amassed 1974 runs which include three centuries and nine fifties.

7) She draws her inspiration from former Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag.

8) Her unbeaten knock of 171, yesterday, remains her best ever in ODI and is also the second highest by any Indian women's cricketer. Deepti Sharma's 188, earlier this year, stands atop.

9) In T20I, the 28-year-old has scored a total of 1223 runs from 60 innings which include just four half-centuries.

10) In 2012, with both Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami down with injuries, Kaur was announced as the captain for India's campaign in the 2012 Women's Twenty20 Asia Cup final.

11) In 2014, she made her Test debut against the English side at Wormsley. However, she failed to shine with her knock of 9 and a duck in the match.

12) Harmanpreet is an all-rounder with right-arm off break as her bowling action.

13) In 2015, she had scalped nine wickets in a Test match against South Africa, played at Mysore.

14) In June 2016, she became the first Indian cricketer to be signed by the Women's Big Bash League. Sydney Thunder was the franchise she had signed for.

15) Exactly a year later, she became the first Indian cricketer to sign a contract with Surrey Stars in ECB's Kia Super League.