She might not have done wonders in that match,but the delivery with which Harpreet Kaur dismissed English batswoman Ebony-Jewel Rainford-Brent in the Board President XI-England XI game has provided wings to her dream of playing for India in the T-20 World Women's Championship to be played in the West Indies. Impressed with Harpreet's bowling in that match,the selectors have named her in the 30-probables list for the Cup. Harpreet,the 22-year-old Punjab medium-pacer,returned with figures of 8-2-16-1 in that match and is now over the moon after her name figured among the probables: "It is amazing to have caught the eyes of the selectors and being selected in the Indian team's list of 30 probables. This literally means that the selectors think that I am capable of playing for the country. After slogging hard for the last four years,finally my performances have been acknowledged and I would not let this opportunity go waste. I will aim to make the final cut and bowl in the World Cup." Harpreet was overlooked for the recent India-England series but she maintains her optimism. She added,"It is tough to break into the Indian team which has brilliant quickies like Jhulan Goswami,Amita Sharma and Rumeli Dhar. Moreover,the Indian wickets are more spinners friendly. So,my chances were less for the England series. But I am sure the T-20 squad will require all-rounders more than specialist bowlers. I am keeping my fingers crossed." Harpreet is the first woman cricketer from Chandigarh to have been considered in the India probables. She is an attacking bowler as well as a useful aggressive batswoman. What would work in favour of this 22-year-old cricketer is that she bats aggressively down the order and can pick up wickets with her accurate bowling. For someone who idolises Indian captain Jhulan Goswami,the call-up is a dream chance. She adds,"This is a lifetime opportunity for me. I will have to shine in the coming days and secure a place in the team which travels to West Indies . A lot will depend on how I perform during the camps and practice matches. I am raring for a berth in the team." In the build-up to the T-20 World Cup,the Indian probables will undergo preparatory camps and play lot of practice matches. The Indian team fared badly in the last T-20 World Cup held in England as they failed to reach the last four. Along with Harpreet,another Punjab all-rounder Harmanpreet Kaur has also been included in the probables for the WC. Harpreet's selection in the Board President XI team was a result of a good domestic season. She shone with the bowl for Chandigarh ,Punjab and North Zone throughout the season. Probables for World T-20: Jhulan Goswami,Mithali Raj,Amita Sharma,Rumeli Dhar,Sulakshana Naik,Anjum Chopra,Reema Malhotra,Poonam Raut,Priyanka Roy,Gouhar Sultana,Harmanpreet Kaur,Babita Mandlik,Latika Kumari,Diana David,Sonia Dabir,Neha Tanwar,MD Thirushkamini,Mamta Kanojia,Shweta Jadhav,Priti Dimri,Ekta Bist,Neha Maji,Archana Das,Snehal Pradhan,Harpreet Dhillon,Shika Pande,Anagha Deshpande,Kadambini Mohakhud,Samatha Labatto and Vasha Chaudhury.
