Lisa basks in idol Sachin’s glow

“Sachin Tendulkar is my idol. I love to watch him bat. I remember having a chat in Adelaide when he last toured. I am looking forward to continuing that conversation,” she says. She’s had a few “hi”s and “hello”s with other Indian players during the course of this Test, but this is different.

She’s keenly watching the game and is happy with the proceedings in the Test. “It’s great to see the Indian team fight back in the match. I was a touch disappointed with the way they played in Melbourne but this match is now proving to be a good contest,” she says.

Lisa was three weeks old when her parents shifted to Australia, but that hasn’t cut her Indian roots during her upbringing and admits to being in touch with all relatives in Pune and around India. Interestingly, some of her best performances—with the bat and ball—for her national team have come on Indian soil, albeit against the Indians only. An aggressive batswoman and off-break bowler, Lisa is happy to talk about her Indian roots though she reminds sternly that she’s a complete Australian.

“Look I am an Australian, but I enjoy the Indian culture. I have family back in India and I enjoy the Indian food, and enjoy my trip whenever I go back to that country. I am very lucky that I have two different cultures and backgrounds that I respect and enjoy,” she clarified.

“I am basically a batsman and I started off-spin when I started playing with the boys. Yes I have had some good success with the ball, but I want to develop my game more as a batter. I didn’t want to be standing without anything to do, I wanted to get busy on the field as well and that’s how I went to bowl my off-spin,” she says.

Lisa knows that not during her lifetime women’s cricket would get the hype and recognition like their male counterparts, but she’s satisfied that things have improved a lot in the recent course of time. And she’s happy that back in India too women’s cricket has got some uplift. “I heard that the women’s association has merged with the BCCI. That’s good and it would be great if like here in Australia there are lot of more girls going out in the park to play cricket,” she says.

And just as she gets ready for the parting shot, a little question on her shot for Australian captaincy. “I frankly don’t know when Rolton would retire for me to take over,” she chuckles before a final diplomatic bow. “I am happy with what I have and am feeling good to be part of this Australian team.”