It is unfair to compare Harmanpreet Kaur's knock with mine, says Kapil Dev

Harmanpreet Kaur’s trailblazing inning against the Australians in the semi final of the Women’s World Cup was hailed by legends and celebrities all over the world. Her valiant and ruthless display with the bat helped India to put on a colossal score of 281 runs in a 42 over match. The Indian bowlers also rose to the occasion and bundled out the Aussies 36 run short of the target to book a berth in the final.

As a part of the praises, Harmanpreet’s inning of a lifetime was has been compared with that of Kapil Dev who played a 175 run knock against Zimbabwe in the 1983 World Cup. The comparison was made by current India coach Ravi Shastri, who was also a member of India’s World Cup winning team in 1983. The picture of both the individuals were put side by side with the caption ‘Déjà vu’ as it spread all over the social media platforms. Harsha Bhogle and Alan Wilkins were the others to make similar comparisons.

What Kapil Dev had to say:

Speaking to The Times of India, Kapil Dev claimed that people should rejoice India’s entry into the finals rather than comparing the two knocks. Kapil also warned the Indians that the final is yet to be played and wished them best of luck ahead of the real deal.

“It’s an unfair comparison. You can’t compare those two knocks. Right now, you shouldn’t bring what happened in the past. Right now, we should celebrate Harman’s innings,” he told The Times of India. “The feeling is as if India has already won the World Cup. The final match is yet to be played against England on Sunday and I wish them all the luck,” he added.

The World Cup winning captain also said that he missed the chance to see Harmanpreet’s 171 run knock live, which consisted of 20 boundaries and 7 maximums. Kapil Dev stated that this kind of knocks hint towards a bright future for women’s cricket and is also a proud moment for the nation.

“I couldn’t see Harman’s knock live, but I am certainly going to catch up with the recorded version of it. It’s a great honour for our country to see such a knock happening from Harman. Her knock is special because women’s cricket doesn’t get that kind of encouragement and when you see such a brilliant innings, it is a special day for Indian cricket,” he concluded.