Harmanpreet Kaur with her first coach Kamaldeesh Pal Singh Sodhi (FILE & CREIMAS FOR BCCI)As told to Nitin SharmaLike Harmanpreet Kaur said, she always put the team first even if it affected her as a player. The captaincy also comes with a lot of stress. I am reminded of how Virat Kohli also gave up the captaincy and then flourished. I can see the same thing happening for Harman now.My mind goes to the day when I first saw Harman playing in Moga with boys. When I approached her asking if she would play for the Moga team, she told me to ask her father. Even though she had evolved as a player and then as captain, who would always back her decisions, she understood at that time that it was important to get her father’s permission. Within one year of her joining, she would lead Moga to the Inter-District title. Post the win, she would drive a motorcycle. Perhaps that was her message to her team-mates that girls can do anything.When she made her debut for the Indian team in 2009, it was rare that a girl had made her way from district team to state team to national team in a short span of three years.ALSO READ | Harmanpreet Kaur’s real legacy is belief, not just a World CupIn 2012 Asia Cup final, when she was made the Indian captain for the first time, she called me and my only message to her was, ‘Kudiye, team nu nal le chalna te stress nahi lena te team-mates layi hamesha stand lena’ (Girl, always take the team along and don’t take stress of captaincy. And always stand with your players). And that’s been her mantra all these years. Kamaldeesh Pal Singh Sodhi with Harman’s framed Indian team jersey (Special Arrangement)Initially, when she would captain the team occasionally, I would tell her to learn how MS Dhoni captained the Indian team.When India lost the 50-over World Cup final against England in 2017, she was distraught after the loss. But then when we had talked post the final, she shared how she will learn from experience. Six years later, when she got run-out in the ICC T20 Women’s World Cup semi-final against Australia at Cape Town, with India needing 40 runs off 32 balls, I had a talk with her. India lost the game. I was angry about her mode of dismissal. I could sense the dejection. But she was confident that India would win a big title.Story continues below this adAnd she showed that in last year’s ICC Women’s World Cup. There was this pressure of playing in front of the home crowd too. She understood that she is one of the senior-most players in the team. And when she played that knock against Australia in the semi-final, she once again showed why her role as a batsman as well captain in the team is important. Her tactical decision in the final including giving the ball to Shafali Verma too shows how she trusts youngsters, a thing which we could see early. Post matches, she would spend time with her team-mates discussing strategies.As Harman enters the new phase in her career of playing with freedom and without the burden of captaincy, I wish her all the success. She has been the most valuable asset to the Indian women’s team.Kamaldeesh Pal Singh Sodhi spoke to Nitin Sharma