Harmanpreet Kaur gets stand at PCA Stadium, Smriti Mandhana congratulates teammate

Fresh from leading India to the Women's World Cup triumph, skipper Harmanpreet Kaur was in attendance at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, New Chandigarh for the second T20I between India and South Africa. The pre-match session marked a special moment in the cricketer's life, as the Punjab Cricket Association honoured her with a stand at the ground.

Taking a note of the same, star batter and Harmanpreet's teammate Smriti Mandhana expressed her joy and pride for the former, as she got a stand named after her at one of the newest international venues in the country. 

“Congratulations Harmanpreet Kaur! What a day for women's cricket, and so, so proud of you!” Smriti wrote in her Instagram story.

For Harmanpreet Kaur, life has changed after winning the World Cup

Harmanpreet herself was elated and shared that it was a moment of great pride for her, as she got a stand in the ground of her motherland. The Moga-born also thanked the state association for honouring her with the gesture, and she believes that it is the hard work that has finally paid off.

“After winning the World Cup, a lot of things have changed in my life. But I think this is a special moment for me. The soil on which I started playing—today I will finally have a stand on my name. So I think it's a very proud moment for me and I really want to thank the Punjab Cricket Association for that, Harmanpreet said in a video posted by BCCI.

"All the hard work, all the struggle, has paid off today. So I think it is a very emotional moment for me. But also, whoever is going to watch this video, whoever is listening, I think it is going to be very motivational for all of them,” Harmanpreet added.

Notably, both Harmanpreet and Smriti will be seen leading the India Women in captain-vice-captain role for the upcoming T20I series against Sri Lanka, starting December 21. The series will have five games, with the first couple of matches to be played at Visakhapatnam, while the action will shift to the city of Thiruvananthapuram for the third, fourth, and fifth match.