India’s World Cup-winning women’s cricket captain Harmanpreet Kaur turned visibly emotional as she recalled the moment she received her first pay cheque, a modest sum of Rs 90,000 after tax deductions, which, she said, made her feel like the “richest person on earth”.
Harmanpreet revisited the early years of her career, when resources were limited but belief was abundant. Now celebrated nationwide after guiding India to a historic World Cup triumph on November 2, the 36-year-old said her journey had been shaped by a series of defining milestones, with that first earning standing out as one of the most meaningful.
“We used to have a tour fee of Rs one lakh in those days. No matter how many matches we played, we would get that amount, and after TDS, it came to around Rs 90,000,” she said. “I felt like the richest person on earth because it was my first earning.”
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The cheque, delivered to her family home in Moga, was handed straight to her father, Harmandar Singh Bhullar, a court clerk and sports enthusiast who nurtured her love for cricket. “Before that moment, my father was the one investing in me, and this was the first time I was giving something back to him,” she said. “He deserved it more than me no matter how big or small the amount was.”
Harmanpreet, who made her ODI and T20I debuts in 2009, was included in the Test side in 2014 during a tour of England. India famously defeated the hosts by six wickets in that one-off match despite fielding eight debutants.
Her father’s encouragement, she said, remained her strongest foundation. She fondly remembered the oversized “good batting” shirt he once bought for her, symbolic of both his support and his aspirations for her future.
Although her cricketing journey has since taken her across continents and to the pinnacle of the sport, Harmanpreet said moments like her first pay cheque continue to anchor her. They remind her of where she began, the sacrifices made by her family, and the values that shaped her path to becoming India’s World Cup-winning captain.
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