Opening wonder woman

While the Indian men’s cricket team go about their business in dismantling oppositions’ resistance with disdain, the Indian women team have been on a roll too. Having blanked West Indies 3-0 in the ODI series last month, India went on to be crowned champions of Asia by beating arch-rivals Pakistan by 17 runs in the final in their latest assignment. 

India, however, finds itself in an uncanny situation where the team is scheduled to play the qualifiers for the upcoming World Cup (from June 24 to July 23) in England and Wales. The qualifiers for the World Cup will be held in Colombo from February 7 to 21 and India are grouped with Sri Lanka, Ireland, Zimbabwe and Thailand in Group A. 

Walking into the tournament as the top-ranked team in the qualifiers, Indian batswoman and Chennai player M D Thirushkamini spoke on the tournament, the morale in the team and more.  

On the qualifiers tournament: It is a new format (to play the qualifiers). It is the first time we are playing the qualifiers for the World Cup. We get to play some good teams and mediocre teams too and that provides a great balance as far as our cricket is concerned. We get to play the same level of competitive cricket throughout and that is a plus. There can be surprise packages in new teams but that won’t deter us from giving our best and playing the same level of cricket we are used to playing. 

On the pressure of being the top-ranked team in the tournament: There is absolutely no pressure. We played Sri Lanka recently and won 3-0 and that is a shot-in-the-arm for us. This is where the momentum starts for us. We need to keep it going till the World Cup and considering that, setting a high standard is necessary and important. We are raring to go. 

On playing 50-over cricket: In my opinion, the 50-over format is a lot different from the T20. In the longer format, we get time to recover from unfavourable situations, like losing quick wickets or if the run-rate is stalled for some reason. It is an easier format and it gives us the space and time to come back into the match and call the shots. 

On playing conditions: Not playing in alien conditions is a huge advantage for us. The weather and the  pitch is something similar to what we have back home and it is easier for us to adapt. The wickets could be tad slower than what we are used to in India but we have a technically sound team. The mood is confident in the dressing room and beating West Indies 3-0 at home recently have upped our morale a lot.

On donning the most important role in the team – the opener: The opener’s slot is the most important slot and I am happy to take the lead as an opener. The opener brings the momentum into the team and vas openers, how we play gives the batters who follow the confidence to take the innings forward fearlessly. A good start can do wonders for the team as the batters to follow can easily pick up the flow. Personally, I am ready and I am in the zone to don the role of an opener as it is not something new for me. 

On scoring competitive totals: We need to have our strategy in place. To score in excess of 200, we need to have a run-rate of four runs per over. The top order needs to consolidate till 30 or 35 overs post which the middle order gets the space to flex their muscles. One of the op order batswoman should be able to play almost all 50 overs for us to post big totals. And if these happen, I even see 230 as an easy benchmark to achieve. 

On training schedules: We have been through a rigourous training regime. We have been practicing match scenarios and playing practice matches. We would be leaving to Sri Lanka on the 2nd or 3rd of February and by then we would have had enough practice under our belt to emerge victorious.

Personal mindset: Personally, I am in a good space. My confidence is high and a good domestic season is one of the reasons for that. I am getting to my zone and I am not trying anything new. My motto is to keep it simple and play the best. The core team is the same and no team or a player is new to us. Thanks to the recent tours and playing against many teams, we know our opposition very well. It gives us a good feeling that we can do wonders and progress to the World Cup.