Harmanpreet Kaur: India rejoices as Indian captain named Wisden's Cricketer of the Year

Kaur guided India to win their maiden ODI series on English soil since 1999

Indians are celebrating after Harmanpreet Kaur became the first Indian woman to be named as one of Wisden's five Cricketers of the Year.

The Indian captain is a prolific scorer both at home and abroad. She led Mumbai Indians to win the inaugural Women's Premier League in March.

Others Wisden winners are New Zealand's Tom Blundell and Daryl Mitchell, and England's Ben Foakes and Matthew Potts.

Wisden's tradition of giving these awards goes back to 1889.

On Tuesday, many took to Twitter to congratulate Kaur for creating history.

"This did not come as a surprise. Kaur's prowess shows and this is just a glimpse into it," said former Indian cricketer Jhulan Goswami.

Former Indian bowler RP Singh said that Kaur "deserved all the accolades".

A player can only be named as one of the Cricketers of the Year once in their career and is based on achievements during the English summer.

Wisden said that Kaur, the captain of the Indian women's team, made it to the list primarily because of her sublime 143 not out from 111 balls in the second one-day international in Canterbury, which guided India to win their maiden ODI series on English soil since 1999.

After being put in to bat, India scored an imposing 333-5, the highest total England have ever conceded in a home ODI. Kaur struck 18 fours and four sixes in her innings, supported by Harleen Deol's 58.

Kaur also led her team to a silver-medal finish at the Commonwealth Games last year.

As the news of Kaur becoming a Wisden cricketer broke on Tuesday, fans praised the skipper for her contribution to Indian cricket.

"She is a godsent gift to women's cricket in India," one user said.

Meanwhile, Indian batsman Suryakumar Yadav has been named the Wisden T20 Cricketer of the Year for his stunning performances throughout the year. And England captain Ben Stokes has been named Wisden's leading cricketer in the world.

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