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Mithali Raj packs no punches when speaking of the upcoming World T20 challenge for the Indians. Most preparation talk on the eve of the women's team's departure to West Indies is accompanied by a disclaimer the Indians might not play the power-game, but they will explore the widest range of 'basics' in cricket as they attempt to better their semi-final showing of last year.
A pep-talk from Sachin Tendulkar when some of the Mumbai Indians players dropped in at the Bandra Kurla Complex where the nets were on for the Indian women reassured the relative T20 novices that the lack of big-hitting power was no deterrent to success. "Sachin Tendulkar is the best example for us, and he told us that it's not all about the big strokes. He was the highest run-getter in this IPL but he hardly hit any sixes. We have more skill than power, but we've watched plenty of T20 action and that gave us a lot of insight into how to make the best of our abilities," Raj says.
Senior player Anjum Chopra agrees: "We know we can't hit sixes like (Kieron) Pollard, but we can run and focus on the basics."
Captain Jhulan Goswami leads the Indians armed with an all-time high of seven all-rounders in a tournament that will run concurrent with the men's event. "People keep saying they've never really watched women's cricket on TV. So, this will be good because everyone can watch it live on TV," Raj says.
Pollard had also dropped in at the 10-day skills camp and spoke of the wickets in the West Indies. "He said that we should expect hard pitches for the practice venue, but most wickets would turn later on and our spinning all-rounders will come in handy," opener Punam Raut says.
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