Women's T20 World Cup 2023: Anjum Chopra’s heartfelt gesture reduces skipper Harmanpreet Kaur to tears

Team India performed marvellously throughout the Women’s T20 World Cup. The Women in Blue gave it their all, but it just wasn't enough at the end as they faced a heartbreaking loss to Australia in the semi-finals of the tournament.

The Aussies set a target of 173 for India to chase in the semis, but it was too tough for them in the end as they only managed to score 167 and faced an exit from the tournament. Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur played an inspirational knock of 52 off 34 balls to help give her side a chance, but she too fell short at the end.

After her unfortunate dismissal, Kaur seemed livid with herself and was dejected after the loss. But it seemed that the India skipper finally felt at ease when former skipper Anjum Chopra gave her a hug after the match. 

It was an emotional moment for both of us: Anjum Chopra

Anjum Chopra talked about the incident after the match. She reflected on the fact that a hug was all she could give to Harmanpreet Kaur as she fell short by the slightest of margins after a fabulous performance.

"My intention was to give the captain some empathy because that's all I can offer from the outside. It was an emotional moment for both of us. India has reached the semi-finals a lot of times and lost. This is not the first time I've seen Harmanpreet bat like this. I have seen her battling her injuries and health Today she might not have even played but because this was a World Cup semi-final and because she was Harmanpreet Kaur," Chopra said in a video posted by ICC.

"She is not the one who takes a backward step; she will go forward and take a backward step; she will go forward, and she did that. Today, before the match started, she was able to bring herself to a situation where she can play. She ran around in the field for 20 overs, and then while batting, she rekindled India's hopes," she added.