India, Nov. 4 -- Though India's World Cup win was a collective triumph, every great team has a heartbeat - its captain, the one who binds it all together. For the recently crowned World Champions, the Indian Women's Cricket Team, that glue has long been Harmanpreet Kaur.

A leader who likes to stand tall on tough days and quietly steps back when others shine, Harman as she is fondly called, sees her role as captain as something far deeper than just making decisions. "Mere liye captaincy sirf decisions lene tak limited nahi hai. Yeh ek responsibility hai, har player ko samajhna, unke ups and downs ke dauran unke saath khada rehna," she says, adding, "It is about building a safe dressing room where everyone can be open about their thoughts,...