Bharath Ramaraj in Sharjah
Jemimah Rodrigues is here.
Jemimah Rodrigues is there.
Jemimah Rodrigues is everywhere.
While watching any training session of India’s women’s cricket team, it is apparent that Jemimah is the heartbeat of the side. The crux of the above-mentioned point could be noticed in the practice workshop ahead of the key T20 World Cup clash against Australia in Sharjah.
Munish Bali, the fielding coach, decided to divide the Indian players into two groups. The task for both the groups was to quickly pick the ball and target the stumps. The group with the highest number of successful direct-hits was the winner.
On expected lines, Jemimah found the target bullseye a couple of times. Deepti Sharma also effected a direct hit or two. After completing the task, Deepti went towards Jemimah to indulge in high fives. For the other group, Pooja Vastrakar was in fine fettle. There was a jolly fight too between the two groups. The contention was whether one of the throws had found the target or missed it by mere inches. Not surprisingly, Jemimah was again the livewire in those arguments.
Those arguments never got ugly, but it was more about a group of players being thoroughly engaged in a contest. Somewhere, it was also a sign that the women were in a good frame of mind after emerging victorious in a couple of games. The win against Sri Lanka in particular, where India aced all three departments of the game, would have given the side the required self-belief ahead of the all-important game.
There was more to trials than just practicing run-outs. Asha Sobhana was part of a gruelling fielding session, involved in taking high catches. Asha’s fielding is below acceptable norms, and the coaching staff have set their eyes on upgrading her skill set, especially since her bowling is suited to the conditions in the UAE.
It is quite evident that the training sessions have improved the skills of some of the cricketers. Renuka Singh dropped enough catches on day 1 of practice. However, on a positive note, she pouched a diving catch in the India-Sri Lanka encounter. And she was holding on to most of the catches that came her way in yesterday’s practice. Even the numbers agree – India’s catch efficiency in this tournament is now a tick over 80 per cent.
There were a few more encouraging signs for India. Pooja was participating in all the fielding drills. Yes, the strap on her knee was still visible, alongside an extra strap on her shoulder, but it didn’t seem to hamper her movements. Pooja, though, didn’t bowl in the nets. That particular exercise was left to Sobhana, Radha Yadav, Renuka Singh and Arundhati Reddy.
Harmanpreet Kaur, the captain, had a few light stretches on the sidelines. She was also the first to hit the net for some batting practice. But the player who impressed the most was Yastika Bhatia: The left-hand batter seemed to be picking the length early, allowing her to use the depth of the crease while facing the spinners. Yastika, though, currently finds herself out of the side.
Different types of fielding drills remained the main theme of India’s training. Somewhere the think-tank know that against Australia, the fielders need to attack the ball from the start of the innings. It isn’t just about saving runs. It is also about showing your intent while playing a champion side. Hopefully, Jemimah’s verve and zest would rub off on other fielders in the eagerly anticipated clash. She is clearly the leader of the pack in the fielding department.
