Excerpts from an interview…
Shafal Verma talked about the conversation you had with her about losing the World Cup final to South Africa in 2005…
I was just telling you that we have a connection to this ground (Potchefstroom, the venue of the final). We had beaten New Zealand at this ground in 2005. I told her there are so many female cricketers at home waiting for an ICC trophy. This is your chance to get one. It was an emotional moment.
(Photo PTI)
What’s the one big difference you see in teenage cricketers compared to when you played your first World Cup Final in 2005?
Compared to our days when we played U-19 cricket, these girls are much more aware of how the game is played. In fact, when we were building this team with zonal cricket academies (ZCA), I saw that these U-19 girls were actually watching the Ranji Trophy. They watch a lot of matches and analyze the players’ strategies. They argue a lot with each other. Our generation depended heavily on skill, but this generation has the awareness of the game to boost.
Could you talk about the significance of this win with the inaugural Women’s Premier League (WPL) looming?
Over a period of almost 20 years, India’s senior women’s team managed to play in three World Cup finals (in 2005, 2017 and the T20 final in 2020) but failed to clear the hurdle. Everyone had opinions on where we fell behind. People talked about how we lacked preparation and are not used to handling pressure. It’s easier to comment but very difficult to work on a solution. There is a need for clarity of roles. This is what we have been working on with the U-19 girls.
(Coach Nooshin al Khadeer – Photo IANS)
This victory came at a good time with the WPL due to start in about a month. Everyone was talking about how we needed to win a trophy before building on women’s cricket. So, this Under-19 win did just that. He provided a roadmap. Previously, women’s cricket in India was all about the senior team. Many players have disappeared from the system during their journey through junior cricket. This won’t happen again.
Do you see a culture shift regarding parents encouraging or enabling their daughters to pursue cricket as a career?
I would like to say it dates back to 2017 when India played the World Cup final at Lord’s. The parents then saw the potential in women’s cricket and supported their daughters to persist with cricket.
This feat obviously sparked euphoria in the country. How important is it to keep these girls grounded?
We keep telling them it’s U-19 cricket only. We are yet to win trophies in senior cricket. Neeraj Chopra (Olympic gold in javelin 2021), during his interaction with the girls before and after the final, also stressed that he does not forget his roots. Legends like Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami have pointed out to them that it is easy to handle failure but very difficult to handle success.
(The team is congratulated by BCCI – IANS photo)
Is it time to stop making comparisons to men’s cricket?
They’ve already stopped. I would like to give full marks to BCCI and Jay Shah (Secretary of BCCI) for this. There is no difference in facilities and exposure. We are getting ZCA, National Cricket Academy (NCA) have been proactive. BCCI has organized two-sided series and quad series for U-19 girls as well just like what boys get. Girls are given the best accommodation just like the male players. The BCCI offered contracts to women cricketers and gave equal pay to women cricketers. And then the introduction of WPL is just another milestone. And all of this growth happened in five years.
The previous generation of female cricketers would have taken the names of male cricketers as role models. Has changed?
I think that has changed. Now, if you ask a girl about her role model, she will first take the names of Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana and Deepti Sharma.
There are many positives to women’s cricket with the arrival of the WPL. What is the one thing we need to watch out for?
I would like to count only earnings. The biggest earner would be Indian domestic cricketers pitting themselves against international stars. They can learn a lot from them and pass it on to cricketers when they return to play for their states.
