Harmanpreet Kaur

She began as an all-rounder who bowled medium pace, and steady results lifted her through the levels more quickly than she had expected. Her selection for India's squad at the 2009 World T20 came as a surprise, and she only learned of it when teammate Punam Raut mentioned it during an informal phone conversation.

Breaking into the national team brought its own difficulties. With established seamers such as Jhulan Goswami and Amita Sharma ahead of her, chances to lead the attack were scarce. Harmanpreet responded by concentrating on her batting until she became a dependable option when India were in trouble. At her father's urging she also took up off-spin, which made her an important all-round presence. A fan of Virender Sehwag, she later came through a long run of poor form after observing Ajinkya Rahane in practice, learning patience and reshaping her approach to blend attacking intent with restraint. She believes the learning process never ends.

The 2016-17 season proved pivotal. Appointed captain after a poor World T20 at home, she lost her opening series in charge, three home matches against the Windies, then the reigning world champions in the format. Shortly afterwards she guided India, unbeaten, to a sixth consecutive Asia Cup title.

Her aggressive middle-order batting drew interest from three WBBL sides, making her the first Indian signed by an overseas T20 league. She joined Sydney Thunder, the competition's first champions, and earned the franchise's Player of the Tournament award for her all-round displays in her first season there. Some months later she became the first Indian to join Surrey Stars, for the second edition of the ECB's women's league.