Spinners will be key for India in Commonwealth Games cricket, says former captain Mamatha Maben

Bengaluru, July 29: Women’s cricket will see a seminal moment on Friday (July 29) when India face Australia in the first T20I match of Group A at the Edgbaston Cricket Ground. It will mark the foray of the sport into a global platform like the Commonwealth Games.

The India side led by Harmanpreet Kaur has been viewed as a strong medal contender in the Commonwealth Games 2022.

But beyond a podium finish the occasion carries several pertinent points — for Indian cricket and the game in general. It has also set in motion a wave of pride among the cricketing fraternity in India. Listen to some voices here.

“It is a spectacular and proud moment for the sport and for Indian cricket. This will definitely help the growth of women’s cricket in future. If you take India’s chances in Commonwealth Games, they have assembled a strong side with some really good players.

“I think they have prepared well for the England conditions and hopefully will translate their potential into performance too. I hope our spinners can make an impact but if they fail to get going in English conditions then probably we will struggle a bit. Spinners holds the key for us. But I just hoped that we could have persisted with Shikha Pandey a bit more because of her experience,” Mamtha, the former India captain, told MyKhel.

However, the path deeper to the Birmingham 2022 will not be easy for India as they are clubbed with two strong rivals in Australia and Pakistan along with rookies Barbados.

But Mamatha believes India have their chances against them. “The India vs Australia clash will be a spectacle, two of the best teams around now. Australia had beaten India quite a few times but I think person to person, we can match Australia. T20 is an unpredictable format too where the day’s performance matters,” said Mamatha.

“I will say, on paper, we have upper hand over Pakistan as our record against them is good. I would say 55-45 in favour of India. Yes, Pakistan too is a team on the upswing and can spring a surprise but I think India will be confident going to the match,” she added.

This squad is also the face of the transition process that has gripped the Indian team after the farewell of Mithali Raj and other experienced names like Jhulan Goswami no longer part of the T20 set up.

“Mitali has moved on after her retirement, so is Jhulan. They are very fine players and it will be tough to replace them but we have seen some really good young players coming up in recent times like Pooja (Vastrakar) and Shafali (Verma).

“It is the nature of the game. We thought who will replace Sunil Gavaskar, a Sachin Tendulkar came along. When Tendulkar retired, Virat Kohli took his place, and now we are seeing the rise of another set of youngsters.

“The game does not wait for anyone as it is bigger than any single player. Having said that India might feel bit of a stress in the initial phase but I think we have good enough players to overcome that,” said Mamatha.

Cricket has always craved for a place in the Olympics and the powers that be are making an organised push for a place for the sport in the Los Angeles Games in 2028. So, can we take cricket’s appearance in CWG 2022 as a concrete step towards realising that long-standing dream. Mamatha thinks so.

“I will be the happiest if that becomes a reality. I know it is not an easy path but I think the future is bright. Once cricket, women’s cricket in particular, becomes a part of the Olympics, the whole scenario will be changed.

“There will be massive amount of investment as everyone wants a medal, as I have seen this during my coaching stint in China. How they changed everything overnight, pumping in money and building infrastructure. It will happen here also. I am seeing that the BCCI is making some good, solid steps in that direction as they feel the time has come to push the women’s cricket forward and I think the results are showing.

“The women’s game in India is surely on an upwardly mobile curve and hopefully, the true potential of the sport will be tapped. Recently, I had visited an under-19 camp and the enthusiasm and skill level on show there were tremendous.

“The players were so passionate and some of the sixes those kids were hitting…huge. Now, I am seeing a lot more youngsters want to take up this game unlike in the past when only a handful of people came forward. Now, these kids have lot of options and exposure as well,” Mamatha added.

Mamatha also underscored the fact that events like the Women’s IPL and Women’s Big Bash League have changed the complexion of the sport.

“Of course, these tournaments have helped a lot as players Pooja, Shafali, Smriti etc are getting a lot of chances to play along with good players more often and the result is showing. We have also seen how Harry (Harmanpreet) had changed after the first edition of the WBBL. We can the women’s cricket is on the right path forward,” she concluded.