Shafali Verma at Idea Exchange: ‘We all grew up watching men’s cricket but when girls start playing now, there will be women idols’

It wasn’t just our team’s victory. It was the victory of women’s cricket. We all know how much women’s cricket used to be judged. I am very keen to see women’s cricket academies open in every state and new girls and stars will come. So, I am very excited to see that.

Vinayakk Mohanarangan: One thing that we found common in everyone’s journey in this Indian squad was that when you all started playing cricket, you had to play with boys.

Absolutely, that is the story of all of us. Everyone was inspired by their brothers and fathers. And almost all of us played with boys because there were no academies for girls. We all grew up watching men’s cricket. But when girls start playing now, women cricketers will be their idols. I am very thrilled to see that.

Shivani Naik: What was the dugout atmosphere like during Jemimah Rodrigues’s semifinal innings while playing against Australia?

It was a goosebumps moment for all. We all know that Australia always stops us from crossing that final line. On that day, she did so well and was in great touch. That moment gave us the biggest confidence boost. We were very pumped after that and said that we would perform no matter what. That was our turning point. After winning that Australia game, we all believed that we were taking one more step and we had to put our lives on the line for the next seven hours (for the final).

Shivani Naik: Can you recall your early days when, due to the scarcity of practice space, you ended up training under flyovers?

Not just under flyovers, outside the park, next to a wall. I learnt to play straight there because if it hit a certain place, it was out and we had to go searching for the ball if we hit beyond the wall. Since it was just my father and I, it was us who had to run to get the ball back. Sometimes, my brother had to play a match and he couldn’t come. My father used to stand in his stead. It was a very tough period for me because there were no women’s cricket academies at that time. So, we used to look for the right place to practise. We were focused. My father made me work very hard and still stands by my side.

Nihal Koshie: In the World Cup final, you hit a couple of straight sixes. How did you develop that shot? Your father said playing gully cricket made you hit straight.

I would only hit straight sixes because there were houses on both sides. We all know what happens if the ball hits one of the other homes… what kind of fights happen. I used to hit sixes before (the final) as well. But my development happened as I had worked hard for a year to play along the ground. I think hitting sixes is easy for me. But taking singles, being at the crease when there are no boundaries in the last 10 balls, that’s the biggest win for me. You all must have seen that I had a different mindset in the final.

On Jemimah’s semifinal Innings | It was a goosebumps moment… Australia always stops us from crossing that final line. She did so well and was in great touch. That moment was our turning point

Nihal Koshie: That one year before the World Cup must have been challenging for you.

A World Cup at home and my name not being in the team, that was a sad thing. But then I just thought I had to work hard and accept everything. How should I improve so that it doesn’t happen to me again? I focused on myself. It was a turning point for me. Seeing my hard work, I think God sent me to play again with the Indian team. I am very grateful that I was able to give a performance on such a big stage. I now have the experience of scoring in the final. I was always sad that I couldn’t score in the finals. Now, I have the confidence to perform at a final.

Nihal Koshie: In Haryana, there is a promising cricketer called Deeya (Yadav), who says she has been inspired by you. You have become a role model. What are the questions young women cricketers ask you?

Actually, there are two. Triveni and Deeya. There are other players as well in Haryana. Whenever I go to play domestic cricket, I always try to talk about my experience with the players. As for Deeya, she used to play along the ground. She has a lot of potential. She is very tall. One day, I sat with her and said, ‘You have very good shots along the ground. If you start playing over the top, your game will shine even more.’ I am so glad she listened. The following year, she worked hard. Her shots looked different. Obviously, it’s a different feeling when you have a female idol in front of you. Members of our champion team have always had a male cricketer as an idol. But now, everyone has their own women’s cricket idol. I am very happy about that.

Tushar Bhaduri: When you were drafted into the World Cup squad before the semifinals, you said that it was God’s will that you got a chance at that time. How did you feel that a higher power had sent you to do something?

I was neither in the main 15 nor among the stand-bys. If I still somehow made it to the team, it had to be God’s will. Before the semifinal, when I was addressing a press conference, I had a feeling from within that ‘yes, God has sent me to do something.’ And I am so grateful for that. I was working hard. Being dropped from the team made me feel bad and I didn’t accept it easily. I wasn’t able to do well in the semifinals because a lot of things were going on in my mind after I got out. Only I know how much I cried. We were happy that the team won but I was sad that I wasn’t able to perform. After that, I just thought that if we win the match, hopefully everything will be fine. Then God managed a miracle and we won the World Cup.

On women Cricketing legends | Women’s cricket was kept alive by legendary former cricketers: Mithali di, Jhulan di, Anjum di and others… We were able to arrive here because of them

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Vinayakk Mohanarangan: How important was Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana’s leadership during the World Cup?

The team was very welcoming when I joined before the semifinals. I was very happy to see that. It drove me even more to score and make the team win. When I had my first practice session, both of them told me that I just have to play my game. I have to do what I have been doing. I don’t have to take any pressure. When you join the team and your seniors speak to you so gently, it gives you a different boost. The entire team accepted and welcomed me.

Shankar Narayan: When you were asked to bowl in the final, what thoughts crossed your mind? Were you practising your bowling in the nets during the domestic T20 tournament?

Yes, I was. When the finals started, we all thought that we needed to contribute as much as we could — that all of us would dive and stop runs. At the time, I was bowling in the domestic tournament and I really like bowling. When I got the ball, I thought that I just had to pick up a wicket now because we saw how good a partnership Sune Luus and Laura Wolvaardt were building. When I got the wicket on the second ball, I couldn’t express my happiness. Then I wanted to take the wicket of Marizanne Kapp and I was happy when I removed her as well. After that, I thought that I had to give as few runs as possible and increase the dot balls. So I had a plan in my mind and I was enjoying my bowling. I always ask Harry di (Harmanpreet) to give me the ball during fielding and I’m glad she did that day.

Shankar Narayan: Have perceptions about women’s cricket changed in your village over the years. Have you had any time to spend there recently? You once said that you had to cut your hair short so that you could pass off as a boy.

Yes. When I had gone to Rohtak, there were so many people who had come, and I had not seen many of their faces before. To see the region where you grew up, worked hard, welcome you, it was really wonderful. It was visible in everyone’s eyes that yes, we will also send our daughters out, give them a reason to follow their passion. Because of cricket and only for cricket, I cut my hair. All those decisions that I took in my childhood, that my father helped me make, are all working today.

Lalith Kalidas: In the year away from the national squad, what have you learned about one-day cricket in your own game?

I have accepted that you have to play along the ground. You have to respect the ball. I have seen a lot of grass on the pitches in one-day cricket, which helps the bowlers. I have tried to practise more on grass wickets and play along the ground. Sometimes there is swing, and you can’t get your bat on the ball. I practised taking singles. I had gone through a lot of net sessions where I didn’t hit anything aerially. I have worked a lot on my mindset and fitness.

Nitin Sharma: When you were dropped from the Indian team last year, you did not tell your father at the time since he had a heart attack days before that. Tell us about your bond with your father.

My father talks about life as well as cricket. I always keep my family above anything. And my father, who has always supported me, had a sudden heart attack. It was a strange time for me. After that, I got dropped from the Indian team. I think that was a setback for my family and my career as well. That was the saddest bit about my life. I was broken at that time. I didn’t tell my father about getting dropped from the team because he was already in so much pain due to his health. When he got a little better, somebody in the family told him. I wanted to tell my father on my own and my father could not even speak but he told me that it would all get better.

Nitin Sharma: How challenging was it mentally when you were dropped from the Indian team?

To be very honest, mera mental health pura hil gaya tha and main cricket chhodne par aa gai thi (My mental health had taken a beating and I was at the cusp of leaving cricket). What do I have now? I am left with nothing. So I should leave cricket and start looking for a job. And I was just crying for one or two weeks. I don’t know why but thoughts of leaving cricket would come to mind. At that time, my brother was the person who told me that this phase would also end. After we won the final, when I held the ‘player of the match’ trophy, my brother told me: ‘See, I told you it would get better.’

Vinayakk Mohanarangan: Did your self-confidence take a hit at that time?

I kept telling myself that I had to be confident in my skills and just get out of this period somehow. I am going to work so hard that I will not find myself in this moment ever again in my career. And I will become so consistent that I will never come back to that period.

Amit Kamath: When there is a big game, do you see any indicators in your mental thoughts or physical fitness that tell you that you will have a good day on the field?

When we take the first step onto the ground, we understand the positivity and negativity because we have been playing cricket for so many years. For me, that first step matters a lot because I don’t even knock about the ball before I go into bat. This is something I have been doing since childhood. I used to do a lot of net sessions before the match, but not on game day. But for me, that first step matters a lot. From that step, I understand what I am going to do today.

Vinayakk Mohanarangan: On the night of the World Cup, you all celebrated with legends at the venue.

I feel that we are living in a golden period. Women’s cricket was kept alive by these legendary former cricketers: Mithali di, Jhulan di, Anjum di and so many more. We didn’t want to live that moment by ourselves. We wanted to show them that we were able to arrive here because of them. That’s why we were sharing the trophy with them. We were trying to share the happiness with them.

Vinayakk Mohanarangan: You have opened with two of the greatest in women’s cricket: Smriti Mandhana and Meg Lanning. What is it like batting with them?

When I started batting at the top for India, Smriti is someone who always keeps me confident in the field. And Meg is someone who always keeps telling me that I should be positive and play my shots. Being an Australian cricketer, to tell an Indian player so much about how to bat positively, I found that very supportive. The turning point for me was when I started opening with Meg. I was very keen to just play with her. She has won five or six World Cups for her country. I was very keen to know her mindset. After batting with her, my mindset changed a lot. Both of them have been crucial in my life.