'Mandhana threatened never to speak to Harmanpreet': Jemimah reveals why
India women’s team captain Harmanpreet Kaur broke into a bhangra while lifting the Women’s T20 World Cup trophy, a moment that soon went viral and won hearts across social media. The celebratory act, however, had a light-hearted story behind it.
Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur (ICC Photo)
India women’s team captain Harmanpreet Kaur was seen breaking into a bhangra celebration while lifting the Women’s T20 World Cup trophy — a moment that quickly went viral and drew widespread admiration.
However, the jubilant scene had a light-hearted backstory behind it.
On a recent episode of The Great Indian Kapil Show, co-hosted by Kapil Sharma, batter Jemimah Rodrigues revealed that Harmanpreet’s dance was the result of a playful ultimatum from teammate
Smriti Mandhana
just moments before the trophy presentation.Although Smriti was not present on the show, her teammates shared anecdotes highlighting her influence within the squad.
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Jemimah explained that Harmanpreet rarely takes instructions from younger players.
"Harry Di doesn’t listen to us anyway," she said jokingly. However, Smriti appears to hold a special place with the captain, prompting Harmanpreet to go along with her request. During Season 4 of the show, Jemimah confirmed that it was Smriti who urged Harmanpreet to perform the bhangra, and the players also opened up about how the team celebrated their World Cup triumph.When Kapil praised Harmanpreet for her spontaneous dance during the trophy ceremony, the skipper responded, "Jemimah and Harleen had planned it."
Jemimah was quick to clarify the story, saying, "No, it was actually Smriti. Harry Di doesn’t listen to us anyway. Initially, she was reluctant, but then Smriti declared, ‘If you don’t do the bhangra while lifting the trophy, I will never communicate with you again throughout my life.’”Kapil later asked the team about their post-title celebrations, and the players described a night filled with joy and excitement.
"After we triumphed, we couldn’t contain our excitement and kept dancing, and it felt almost impossible to think about sleeping. We had a festive dinner, and then we continued to celebrate on the field until 3:30 am. However, the stadium lights were turned off, compelling us to leave, but we stayed together until sunrise, experiencing it for the very first time along with one another.
”The conversation then turned playful when Kapil asked who among them was the biggest party lover, with most of the team pointing towards Renuka. Jemimah added with a laugh, "Whenever she gets in the mood, she exclusively speaks in English.”