NEW DELHI: Seven months of meticulous planning by the National Cricket Academy (CNA) before the inaugural U-19 World Cup, India came a long way in winning their first ICC title in women’s cricket.
With India already the most successful team at U-19 men’s level with five trophies, expectations were high from the U-19 girls.
With the event taking place for the first time, the NCA led by VVS Laxman has been proactive in organizing regular camps and back-to-back series ahead of the competition in South Africa.
It all started with a camp in June last year with the likely 25, who were shortlisted based on their performances in the U-19 national event.
After that, the players played the Challenger Trophy, a quadrangular series involving the West Indies, Sri Lanka and two Indian teams, bilaterals against New Zealand before the five games in South Africa before the CIC event.
This was crucial as the junior female players didn’t get much exposure playing against international teams unlike the junior male players.
According to the team’s on-field coach, Munish Bali, who was also part of the U-19 title-winning squads managed by Virat Kohli (2008) and Yash Dhull (2022) respectively, said the players are improving at every game against international teams and culminated in the World Cup.
“The NCA must be given a lot of credit for the way they prepared the players. Compared to the boys, the girls don’t get as many games at age group level, but the BCCI made sure they get the best possible training exposure to competition,” Bali said.
Other support staff were head coach Nooshin Al Khadeer, batting coach Apurva Desai and bowling coach Rajiv Dutta.
The likes of Shweta Sehrawat, Parshavi Chopra, Archana Devi, Mannat Kashyap and Titas Sadhu are becoming overnight stars with their exploits in South Africa, but Bali believes they still have a long way to go.
“All the players have talent, now the women’s IPL will give them a big boost. We have to see how they perform there and prepare for the big stage. This is just the beginning but the future is promising,” Bali told PTI.
The outfield coach revealed that even the players, who didn’t play regularly, could be stars of the future.
“As part of the team strategy, Sadhu has played most matches due to her all-around ability. The other point guard to watch is Shabnam MD. She has a nice rhythmic run and balls at 110mph. Beating Soumya Tiwari is another player who hasn’t played every game but is very talented,” remarked Bali.
He stressed the need to return to domestic cricket for all members of the squad.
“After the U-19 Men’s World Cup last year, all the boys all returned to domestic cricket and among them only Yash Dhull went on to make a statement in the Ranji Trophy.
“You shouldn’t make a comparison between boys and girls. Boys are much more exposed, they start early and play a lot more games. Now girls are learning the game at a younger age too, with women’s cricket becoming more popular “, did he declare.
Shafali Verma and Richa Ghosh were the two senior Indian players in the team. It was possible that other players would be impressed by their presence, but Bali said the captain galvanized the whole unit.
“She led the team brilliantly. Shafali instantly bonded with the girls and became friends with everyone. That’s a great quality in a leader. She has been playing international cricket for over three years, but she made everyone feel equal.
“The win meant a lot to her and it was also visible as she was crying after the final,” he added.
With India already the most successful team at U-19 men’s level with five trophies, expectations were high from the U-19 girls.
With the event taking place for the first time, the NCA led by VVS Laxman has been proactive in organizing regular camps and back-to-back series ahead of the competition in South Africa.
It all started with a camp in June last year with the likely 25, who were shortlisted based on their performances in the U-19 national event.
After that, the players played the Challenger Trophy, a quadrangular series involving the West Indies, Sri Lanka and two Indian teams, bilaterals against New Zealand before the five games in South Africa before the CIC event.
This was crucial as the junior female players didn’t get much exposure playing against international teams unlike the junior male players.
According to the team’s on-field coach, Munish Bali, who was also part of the U-19 title-winning squads managed by Virat Kohli (2008) and Yash Dhull (2022) respectively, said the players are improving at every game against international teams and culminated in the World Cup.
“The NCA must be given a lot of credit for the way they prepared the players. Compared to the boys, the girls don’t get as many games at age group level, but the BCCI made sure they get the best possible training exposure to competition,” Bali said.
Other support staff were head coach Nooshin Al Khadeer, batting coach Apurva Desai and bowling coach Rajiv Dutta.
The likes of Shweta Sehrawat, Parshavi Chopra, Archana Devi, Mannat Kashyap and Titas Sadhu are becoming overnight stars with their exploits in South Africa, but Bali believes they still have a long way to go.
“All the players have talent, now the women’s IPL will give them a big boost. We have to see how they perform there and prepare for the big stage. This is just the beginning but the future is promising,” Bali told PTI.
The outfield coach revealed that even the players, who didn’t play regularly, could be stars of the future.
“As part of the team strategy, Sadhu has played most matches due to her all-around ability. The other point guard to watch is Shabnam MD. She has a nice rhythmic run and balls at 110mph. Beating Soumya Tiwari is another player who hasn’t played every game but is very talented,” remarked Bali.
He stressed the need to return to domestic cricket for all members of the squad.
“After the U-19 Men’s World Cup last year, all the boys all returned to domestic cricket and among them only Yash Dhull went on to make a statement in the Ranji Trophy.
“You shouldn’t make a comparison between boys and girls. Boys are much more exposed, they start early and play a lot more games. Now girls are learning the game at a younger age too, with women’s cricket becoming more popular “, did he declare.
Shafali Verma and Richa Ghosh were the two senior Indian players in the team. It was possible that other players would be impressed by their presence, but Bali said the captain galvanized the whole unit.
“She led the team brilliantly. Shafali instantly bonded with the girls and became friends with everyone. That’s a great quality in a leader. She has been playing international cricket for over three years, but she made everyone feel equal.
“The win meant a lot to her and it was also visible as she was crying after the final,” he added.
