New Delhi [India], February 22 (ANI): India and Delhi Capitals (DC) batter Jemimah Rodrigues expressed hope that the team will lift the Women’s Premier League (WPL) trophy at their home ground of Arun Jaitley Stadium on March 17 and talked about her conversations with captain Meg Lanning, who has also led Australia to numerous world titles in international cricket.
The second season of the WPL will start from Friday and DC will play their first match at Bengaluru against UP Warriorz. DC were the runners-up last season and lost to Mumbai Indians (MI) in the title clash.
Rodrigues, the vice-captain of Delhi Capitals, spoke exclusively to JioCinema ahead of season 2 of the WPL which gets underway in Bengaluru on Friday. The batter talked about her learnings from skipper Meg Lanning, DC’s aspirations and getting to play in front of her home crowd this time.
Talking about losing to Mumbai Indians in the final last year, Rodrigues said, “It was hard. We were doing well throughout the tournament and we had some amazing games. The one we really wanted to win the most, that did not go in our favour but that is sport. That is why we love playing. You win some, you lose some. It teaches you a lot, to get back up and gives you another chance always. This is our other chance. Hopefully this year on our home ground, we lift the WPL trophy.”
Rodrigues said that she feels great being led by Lanning, who she said, automatically gets the respect of her players. The India batter also said that she gets to see how Lanning works as a captain and collaborate with her on decision-making.
“It feels great. There is so much to learn from her. She is someone who does not demand respect, she just walks in and everyone automatically has respect for her. She has done so much, that is why we have that much respect for her. There is so much to learn. Working with her up close and personal, I never thought I would get that opportunity. Thanks to the WPL I am getting it,” said Rodrigues.
“Being the vice-captain, I am involved in many decisions, seeing how she works. Recently, I spoke to her about captaincy and how she dealt with it because she was made captain at a young age. ‘Captaincy is so much more than on the field’, she said. Off the field, there are so many things you have to handle. Then off the field, your own batting and how you go about it. It was a good conversation and I am sure I will get so much more to learn from her,” she added.
Talking about her training sessions, Rodrigues said that she believes in working hard and following her processes and preparations well.
“I hit a lot of balls, I pity the ones who do the sidearm throw-ins for me. I tell them ‘Bhaiya I will pay for your massage, but please keep throwing’. Even in the Indian team, I am the first one in, the last one out,” she added.
On being a part of DC and playing in front of home fans this year, the batter said that she loves being a part of DC family, which is indeed a family. She also expressed excitement at the idea of playing in Delhi, where the second leg of the tournament will be held.
“I love being a part of the DC family. More than a team, it is a family. This feels like home to me. Since last year’s WPL, there has been a lot of improvement in domestic cricket. I feel it because we have played in the domestic season. There is scope for more but it is a good sign for women’s cricket all over India,” said Rodrigues.
“I am very excited. There is nothing like playing in front of your home crowd. Me being a Mumbaikar wearing a Delhi jersey in Mumbai, everyone was supporting the Mumbai Indians except my family, like 10 of them. It will be nice to have an entire ground cheering for Delhi,” she added.
Talking about the changes in the squad, Rodrigues said that the team is happy to have got Australian all-rounder Annabel Sutherland, who recently hit a double ton against South Africa in the one-off Test. She also talked about another Indian youngster Ashwani Kumari, from whom the team is expecting that she fulfills the role of a finisher.
“We have got Annabel Sutherland. She recently scored a double century and had an amazing time with the ball too. I played with her in the WBBL (Women’s Big Bash League), and she is a great person, a very good fielder. As a captain, that is one person you would want to have on your team because she covers all aspects. We have Ashwani (Kumari), another young talent coming in and filling in the finisher’s role we are looking for. She is someone who wants to learn and get better. That is her biggest quality,” said Rodrigues.
-Delhi Capitals
Squad strength: 18 (6 overseas)
Players bought in last year’s auction: Annabel Sutherland (Rs 2 crore), Aparna Mondal (Rs 10 lakh), Ashwani Kumari (Rs 10 lakh)
Full squad: Alice Capsey, Arundhati Reddy, Jemimah Rodrigues, Jess Jonassen, Laura Harris, Marizanne Kapp, Meg Lanning, Minnu Mani, Poonam Yadav, Radha Yadav, Shafali Verma, Shikha Pandey, Sneha Deepthi, Taniya Bhatia, Titas Sadhu, Annabel Sutherland, Aparna Mondal, Ashwani Kumari. (ANI)
