The meet, the chat, and the win

India fielding coach R Sridhar on the conversations between the Indian men’s and women’s team

    There is a wave of history surrounding the Indian women’s team. A series victory against Australia in their own backyard doesn’t come easy and this young side has managed to make a nation proud by winning the three-match T20I series in Australia 2-1. Aggression and fearlessness was the need of the hour and the women’s team has shown just that on the ground in full beam. 

A chance meeting with the Indian men’s team before the first T20I meant there were a few thoughts shared, viewpoints exchanged, notes taken and some words of wisdom that were to prove more than handy before the actual faceoff on the 26th of January - the team’s first T20I fixture in Adelaide. 

In the build-up to the first game, India women’s captain Mithali Raj spoke about how the knowledge shared by a few members of the men’s team, namely fielding coach R Sridhar, would help them in their pursuit for success in Australia. We at BCCI.TV wanted to delve into more details of the meet and decided to speak to Sridhar about the conversations with an edge. “It was nice to bump into the Indian women’s team at Adelaide before the first T20I. I know the girls well from my tenure at the NCA and we have helped them in a few camps,” Sridhar said. “It was nice to see the energy and enthusiasm in all the girls including Mithali Raj herself. They were very keen to know about the conditions in Australia and how to go about their game under challenging conditions here. 

“Based on my experience, when we were here for four and a half months last year, especially spending a lot of time in Adelaide, all I told them was - “These are one of the best batting wickets around the country and chasing a score will be a very good option. I told them regarding the chats we would have in the team, what Ravi Shastri, MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli would say throughout the tour and that was to be aggressive against the Aussies. 

“There is no point in playing conservative or cautious cricket against them. You have to play courageous cricket. That is the way they play their cricket and you have to play the same level of cricket to beat them. If they take one foot forward, we should take two steps forward. It is a country where you take the bull by its horns. This is what we told them and if it has helped them, I am very happy about it,” smiled Sridhar. 

It sure seemed to have worked with the women’s team getting two comprehensive victories under their belt. Like everyone, Sridhar was in awe with the way the team played out of their skins to get results in their favour. “I saw the whole game on television when I was in the gym. The way Smriti Mandhana and Veda Krishnamurthy batted in the first game after Mithali got out early was very commendable. They never let the dismissal of their key player affect them. They went about their business; they were aggressive and took on the infielders to go over them. Also, the way Harmanpreet Kaur came after that and finished the game was something which you hardly get to see in women’s cricket. She was absolutely brilliant. I am glad they played such kind of cricket against the number one side in the world.” 

If the first win was convincing, the run-chase in the second game oozed even more confidence. It was a rain curtailed game, but there was a no holds barred approach from the team. Captain Mithali Raj after the game applauded the kind of character her young team had shown on the field to outclass a quality opposition. She said she had to ‘pinch herself’ to realise this moment was for real. “Mithali came into her own in that game and steered the team to a victory along with Mandhana,” agreed Sridhar. “We had the Duckworth-Lewis under control because we didn’t lose wickets which made the job easier. They have taken a leaf out of the book from the Indian men’s team which is brilliant to see.” 

As the women’s team scripted a 2-0 series win in the evening, the men’s team too followed it up with a series clinching win in the night. It was double the happiness on Friday night at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The women’s team had stayed back to watch the men’s team from the stands and India captain MS Dhoni later met them in the dressing room for a few minutes. 

“The very fact that captain MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Harbhajan Singh, Ajinkya Rahane and a few other boys went and met the girls in the ground shows that the men’s team takes equal interest in the women’s game,” Sridhar said. “Someone like a Dhoni and Virat going and having a word with them is huge and is a great confidence booster for the women’s team. Such things I believe will give them wings. This series win should do them a world of good and hopefully they take this momentum forward. We as a team are always there to help them. We want to see them stand on that podium with the trophy on the 3rd of April.”