India's campaign was on the verge of derailment after losing back-to-back games to South Africa, Australia and England. Against England, India were cruising at 234 for 3 before failing to surpass a target of 289.
The deluge of criticism hurled at them after snatching defeat from the jaws of victory against England didn't break the team down but instead brought them closer with a common goal that things would only look up from there, India's first ever World Cup winning woman skipper Harmanpreet Kaur said.
India's campaign was on the verge of derailment after losing back-to-back games to South Africa, Australia and England. In fact, against England, India were cruising at 234 for 3 before failing to surpass a target of 289.
That match ended in a heartbreak with head coach Amol Mujumdar showing virtual mirror to the team and in the outside world, people were calling for the skipper's head.
"Not a single player said 'what will happen now' when things were not going well, especially after the heart-breaking loss against England," Harmanpreet said at the post-match media conference after India's title triumph in Navi Mumbai on Sunday.
"That night changed a lot of things for us, we thought we will have to come out with a stronger mindset and everyone came together even more," the skipper revealed.
Asked how she dealt with the criticism, which was harsh in its tone and tenor, the skipper was pragmatic.
"It is a part of our life, criticism," Harmanpreet said, adding "because it brings some balance. I don't blame those who criticise us and I don't have much to say. For me it is important to keep things balanced within the team."
Harmanpreet was echoing the coach's sentiment of creating a bubble within the team and not caring about the outside frenzy.
Over the past few years, Harmanpreet and her deputy Smriti Mandhana have endured heartbreaks and didn't want one more such experience, the skipper said.
"I have played a lot of World Cups with her (Mandhana). We would lose at home and we were not able to break it (jinx). When we got to know the venue was DY Patil, we started celebrating and we decided we will not leave it. We spoke that we are at home and our World Cup begins now," the skipper said.