Maharashtra women confident of good show

The Maharashtra girls topped the group in the qualification tournament played at the Bandra Kurla Complex over the last two weeks. The team picked up 17 points out of a possible 20 in a group that had teams such as Mumbai,Saurashtra,Baroda and Gujarat.

Former Maharashtra Ranji Trophy player,Indrajeet Kamtekar,who is the coach of the side,says the performance in Mumbai has allowed players to dream big. “The West Zone group was a strong one. We played against teams like Mumbai and Baroda and came out on top. More importantly,we registered comprehensive victories and I am sure the girls will carry the good form to Hyderabad,” he says.

“We are facing Punjab,West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh in Hyderabad. It’s a tough assignment but after seeing the girls perform well in Mumbai,I am fancying our chances.”

Shinde who was appointed the skipper of team before the tournament,says she was a bit nervous taking charge of the unit. “This is the first time I am captaining a team. When the selectors and the coach told me that I was going to be the captain,I was definitely scared by the responsibility. I didn’t know whether I had it in me to set fields and make the right changes. But after the first match I kind of liked it. Now I really don’t feel the pressure of being the captain,” she says.

Devika Vaidya is an all-rounder in her third season. This should not be very surprising if not for her age. Vaidya is all of 15 and she has already taken on the mantle of being one the key bowlers for Maharashtra. She bowls an interesting mix of off-spin and leg-spin and has also been used to open the bowling. Vaidya picked up five wickets in the qualifiers and also scored 36 runs against Mumbai and followed it up with a fighting 27 against Baroda.

Coach Kamtekar says that his decision of using Vaidya to open the bowling is a calculated one. “Most of the girls playing in U-19 teams are young and are used to conventional tactics of facing seamers at the start. By using Devika up front,we are putting these young players in a quandary. It’s not easy to bowl off-spin with the new ball,but Devika performed admirably. She doesn’t bowl too many loose deliveries and bowls a tight line which restricts scoring.” he says.

The team will also rely on the experienced Smriti Mandhana and captain Shivali Shinde to get the runs. Both were in good touch in the qualifiers. Shinde scored 112 runs in three matches,while Mandhana compiled a fluent 58 against Mumbai. Kamtekar says that though the duo are important to the team’s prospects,the lower middle-order has also shown promise. “Against Baroda we were in a spot of bother having lost four wickets for 70 odd runs. But the lower middle-order came good,” he says. “Tejal Hasabnis and Anam Mukadam stitched a 55-run partnership and pulled the team through.”