New Delhi, Oct 16 (IANS): Shweta Sehrawat, the leading run-getter in India’s U19 World Cup title-winning campaign in 2023, has experienced various enriching cricketing experiences since her participation in the 2024 Women’s Premier League (WPL).
After batting in the middle-order for UP Warriorz, Shweta got her first taste of being in the senior India women’s set-up. After playing an innings of 24 not out in an abandoned tour game between Board’s President XI and South Africa, Shweta earned selection as one of the four traveling reserves with the Indian team for the Asia Cup in Sri Lanka.
A multi-format trip to Australia as the member of the India ‘A’ team, where she played all seven games in the top-order (with highest score being 40), made for ‘a good learning exposure’, according to Shweta. “The conditions there were very different, and you don’t get a lot of wickets like this in India which were present in Australia.”
"There, we had more bouncy and skiddy wickets, which made for a different learning experience. Plus, it’s a very nice place. It is very clean and there are a lot of tourist places as well. There were some friends from the Australia ‘A’ team who showed us everything in the country, and it was nice," says Shweta in an exclusive conversation with IANS.
Shweta improved her runs tally, average, strike-rate, and boundary numbers in a different role in this year’s WPL. But she admits, "it would have been better if we had played some match-winning knocks, as we wanted to play the finals."
While spending time with the senior Indian team for the first time, Shweta made it a point to have extensive discussions with vice-captain Smriti Mandhana, delving into the finer aspects of top-order batting. "I got to observe everyone’s routine and game closely. Smriti di gave me a lot of time for conversations around batting and the things which I can do."
Following her trip to Australia, Shweta assumed the role of captain for the South Delhi Superstarz in the first edition of the Delhi Premier League (DPL), leading the team to a second-place finish.
Shweta, who served as the captain of India A during their triumph in the Emerging Asia Cup in Hong Kong last year, believes that assuming a leadership position imparts valuable lessons on leading a fulfilling life. She cites Meg Lanning and her calmness as a source of leadership inspiration.
"It was definitely very nice because it was the first time a tournament like DPL was happening, and that was very good from the women’s perspective. Leadership teaches you a lot of things. Like, how you can lead the team and not just think about your performance but also about the whole team. So these things help you a lot to grow as a cricketer. It also helps you in your normal life, as that helps you learn a lot of values."
Prior to her participation in the Senior Women’s T20 Trophy group stage campaign with the Delhi team in Thiruvananthapuram, starting on Thursday, Shweta actively took part in the UP Warriorz off-season camp in Lucknow.
There, she diligently honed her skills alongside her teammates Kiran Navgire, Vrinda Dinesh, Poonam Khemnar, S Yashasri, and Anjali Sarvani.
"It was very good. We practised in a lot of open nets on the centre wicket. It was the best practice, as we got to do it in open nets, and learnt a lot there about my game. We worked a lot on the skillsets, as there is always something going on with the technique.
"We worked a lot on everything around fitness this time, like did a lot of gym and conditioning, so that we get some power. We did well in fielding – like increased our speed. So these things are helping us a lot."
As the domestic season approaches, Shweta has set her sights on two goals - winning a tournament for Delhi and becoming the top scorer in every competition she takes part in. She concluded by acknowledging WPL’s contribution to change in batting approach in domestic matches.
"We have got to see aggressive batting approach in the domestic games since WPL came. In fact, when we were in the India ‘A’ series, the intent was very good from both teams. WPL has shown a lot of awareness in the way that how you can approach the game from a batting perspective in a better way, and that has been of a big help."