Harmanpreet Kaur has done what no one else can claim to have done, or may do for a while — be the captain of an Asian Games-winning cricket team twice in a row. And she has the medals to prove it.

Firm favourite to defend its title at the Korogi Athletics Park even before the team landed in Tokyo, and coming after the high of clinching the Asia Cup, the gulf between the Women in Blue and the rest was far too wide.

But even the Indians would not have expected the kind of domination they managed in the final, packing off Sri Lanka for a 147-run victory.

“As cricketers, we always wanted to be a part of the Asian Games or Commonwealth Games or Olympics, because otherwise we only play cricket tournaments or bilateral series. We did not know the value of what a medal actually means; we had no experience of that, but we are grateful to have the opportunity to experience this.

“We are lucky to have done it twice now because the cricketers before us did not have this. Now we can also frame two medals back home because when we win a trophy, it feels good but it goes to the BCCI office. This is something we will have with us forever… this is ours,” Harmanpreet said on Tuesday.

That the team’s gold was also the first for India at the ongoing Games only made it extra special.

“Since we came here, our aim was to win gold and see the national flag high… [we] talked about the national anthem playing. But we didn’t know we would be the first to experience it here. We are just lucky and grateful for this because there were other athletes over the past two days who could have done it and came close. But I am sure that we have opened the golden gates. There will be many more [gold medals] coming through for India from all the different sports. We will be rooting for them,” she declared.

Shreyanka Patil, returning from an ankle injury that kept her out of the Asia Cup, was elated to be back playing.

“It’s very hard when you have back-to-back injuries and then you’re out for a while and come back. If you stay positive and keep telling you can do it, anything is possible. When I was out there, I was full of happiness and I just couldn’t express it. I was all around jumping, roaming, talking, everyone was like, ‘O, Shrey is back,’”she laughed.

“It’s my first time holding a gold medal… so I’m really grateful and happy. The whole campaign was good for us. We’ve done really well with the ball and the bat. But most of all, I’m just happy to be back on the field,” she added.

Smriti Mandhana, whose 45-ball 79 laid the foundation for India’s success, was more measured in her reaction, her ambitions clearly much bigger than continental domination.

“I feel everyone played really good cricket. Having said that, we all have to look forward and work on ourselves and keep getting better. We have to keep playing good cricket against better opposition. We can’t dwell on this win a lot, we have to see what we can do for the next 1.5-2 years to get in the best place to win an Olympic medal,” she declared.

Harmanpreet Singh scores, India wins. But what happens when he doesn’t?

Harmanpreet had a wry smile when the question was put forward to him. It’s a query he has faced countless times in his long career and one he was probably half-expecting after India’s 3-1 World Cup victory over Wales here on Saturday.

The Indian skipper once again showed why he is among the world’s greatest when it comes to dragflicks, scoring twice and taking his goal tally to 254. All three of India’s goals came from short corners, with Sanjay Rana also netting one from the area.

Is there an over-reliance on penalty corners? What about the field goals?

Harmanpreet was quick to defend his forwards although the link-up between Mandeep Singh, Abhishek Nain and Sukhjeet Singh lacked the final pass, control or finishing touch in the clash against Wales.

“They are playing well. They are creating so many chances in the D, so it doesn’t matter if we are scoring a field goal or creating a PC. At the end of the day, we are getting goals, that’s more important,” said the 30-year-old.

In recent years, India has relied on its prowess from short corners, particularly from the stick of Harmanpreet. After all, of his 254 goals, a whopping 217 (85.43%) have come from PCs. India wins 69% of the matches when Harmanpreet scores.

When his penalty-corner conversion form dipped in his stop-start Pro League campaign, India struggled woefully in front of goal to finish eighth in the standings. In the 10 games he featured, the team converted just nine of its 43 PCs with Harmanpreet managing a lowly two. The overall picture across 16 games highlighted India’s poor PC conversion and its struggles from open play, which led to a sub-par number of short corners earned.

Of its 63 PCs, 24 came in the two matches against last-placed Pakistan. In 14 games against the top-seven teams, several of whom will be strong contenders at the World Cup, India converted just eight of the 39 short corners.

While India scored more field goals (16) than PC goals (13) in the Pro League, it should be noted that six of them came against Pakistan. Harmanpreet doesn’t want to look back on India’s struggles and maintains that the objective is clear. “We are not going to overthink things. We know our values and targets. We are here for the World Cup, we are going to win this,” he said.

Harmanpreet Kaur has made it a habit, of being part of historic moments. She led the Indian women to a first ever World Cup in Navi Mumbai last year.

On Friday, she will lead her team on to the field for the first ever Women’s Test at Lord’s. “It is a very big moment for all of us,” the Indian captain said on the eve of the Test against England. “As a captain and as a player, I’m really looking forward to this opportunity. As kids, we always dream about playing Test matches and playing at Lord’s is one of those dreams. All the girls are very excited.”

She is glad that a Women’s Test is finally being played at Lord’s. “Maybe it is late, but not too late,” she said. “I am still playing cricket and therefore getting this opportunity to be part of this historic match.”

Harmanpreet is confident of a good show from her team. “Our last two Tests have been very good for us and we have always played good cricket against England,” she said. “We may not be that used to playing Test matches, but we enjoy them so much. Even during the photoshoot yesterday, everybody was so excited wearing the white kit.”

She would love to have more Tests for women. Since the last time the Indian women toured England for a Test, in 2021, they have played only five more. And a country like New Zealand, one of the strongest in women’s cricket, doesn’t even play Tests any longer.

“As cricketers, we definitely want to be part of many Test matches,” she said. “But I think that is totally the higher authorities’ call. I have seen women’s cricket growing all these years. I think we are in the right hands, and they are the right ones to take the call.”