New Delhi, Oct 16
When coaches asked lanky fast-bowling allrounder S Yashasri what she was hoping to gain from the tour of Australia before she travelled there as a member of the India 'A' side in August, her immediate response left everyone there laughing.
"It is such a beautiful country, first of all, and the wickets were amazing. So I said to them, 'Sir, mere ko jaana hai, aur bowling karna hai, (I just want to go and bowl there); that's enough for me'. The thought inside me was, 'Just let me bowl in the Australian wickets, I will be fine there'. It was a brilliant exposure for me to go to Australia because as a pacer, who doesn't want to go there and bowl," says Yashasri in an exclusive conversation with IANS.
Despite playing only two 50-over games during the multi-format tour, closely studying the routines of the Australian players enabled Yashasri to identify areas for improvement. "For example, it can be execution, pace, and accuracy, and it differed from match to match. Suppose in one match, I can be better in accuracy; in another match, I could have been better at execution."
"A player's graph cannot always be this or that way. There are ups and downs for every player. If there are no ups and downs, you are not actually becoming a player then, because a failure only leads to success next. So, my graph has always been this way, and it's fine."
She is determined to give her best for Hyderabad in the domestic season, although she won't be present for their campaign in the upcoming Senior Women's T20 Trophy in Surat. Following her return from Australia, Yashasri took part in her WPL franchise, UP Warriorz off-season camp in Lucknow, where she had a delightful time with team-mates Anjali Sarvani, Gouher Sultana, Vrinda Dinesh, and Shweta Sehrawat.
Yashasri, who graduated from university five months ago, is determined to excel in the upcoming domestic season. "I always focus on my execution. Like, wherever I bowl, I'm like, okay, I have to hit these areas right - so that has been the same motive. With the domestic season coming up, working on fitness has been a motive too in the off-season camp.
"It is not only practicing; I get to learn every time I come in. I want to play for senior India women's team and play lots of World Cups. At this point, my goal now is to do really well in domestic matches."
Yashasri's encounter with cricket happened by chance. As a school-going kid in Hyderabad, she was into basketball and swimming. Additionally, she harbored a desire to represent her state in basketball, but her school cricket team needed a player and approached Yashasri to bowl. From that point, there was no looking back for Yashasri in pursuing cricket.
"I wasn't really much into cricket at all. Very honestly, I never used to watch cricket on TV. It's just that when I played for the first time, I really loved it. The feel of batting and bowling was really good. I was like, you have to play cricket now, and then I started playing.
"I was gifted with good height, and immediately got selected for my state. From there, my aim became to play for this team, and play well in that match. Just like that, I just went kept going and going.
The support of Yashasri's parents has been instrumental in her rise through the ranks. "My parents were always very supportive. Both my mother and father never told me that no, you don't play cricket today, and that you have to go to school. They were like, you don't want to go to school? No worries.
"They were very cooperative in my 10th grade and never forced me to study. They were like, 'You play cricket, you leave studies apart. It's okay; that will happen in time'. Playing cricket is the first priority for you, and they always pushed me in everything for it."
Yashasri got her initial cricket lessons under MV Rao, who first identified her bowling talent, at Bhavan's Cricket Academy in Secunderabad before moving to be under the tutelage of Mohammed Iqbal at the Iqbal Cricket Academy. As of now, Yashasri trains under Kaneshkk Naidu, the former Hyderabad Ranji Trophy player.
"When Rao sir saw my height and built, he was like, 'You become a bowler' and because he was also a pacer, he taught me through bowling. When I went to Iqbal sir, he gave me coaching on batting. So, I learnt my batting and bowling skills from them.
"But right now, I can tell that my massive change like, from WPL to now, in my pace and the small things in my action is because of Kaneshkk Naidu. He's the reason why my bowling has changed drastically. He just stressed on like small changes around action, and that really helped a lot. He's actually very good and I'm happy with him."
Yashasri remembers a time when she played for Hyderabad in the domestic circuit but couldn't find a way to play at the highest level. Her impressive performance in zonal games earned her a place in India's squad for the 2023 U19 World Cup in South Africa, especially in light of Hurley Gala's injury.
Though Yashasri got to play just one game, she came back to Hyderabad as an U19 World Cup winner. "It was that turning point in my life where I really got that recognition and exposure. It was a tournament held for the first time, and we won it. From there, the whole U19 squad got a massive recognition back at home," she added.
Yashasri's U19 World Cup victory quickly led to her selection by UP Warriorz in the WPL, a tournament that has provided new opportunities for women cricketers in India at all levels.
Despite only playing one game over two WPL seasons, Yashasri expresses deep gratitude to UP Warriorz for providing her with an opportunity to grow and showcase her talent.
"It has been so amazing. I am so grateful towards UP Warriors that I've got this opportunity into the WPL. The kind of exposure and direction they're showing me towards playing cricket and their guidance has been very good. WPL is such a big platform where a lot of young cricketers are getting so much exposure.
"We have got to know how much we have to evolve, by looking at them - the overseas and Indian team players. By looking at their level, we are trying to match them. Domestic cricket and WPL levels have a lot of difference and that I've understood only after getting selected here. Plus, it helped my financial status become better, though money is not the primary reason of playing the game."
One of the greatest pleasures Yashasri now experiences in cricket is excelling in her responsibilities without feeling burdened by pressure. "When I have done my task well, I'm happy at the cricket, even though I don't get the results. In terms of mental preparation, I just back myself."
"I'm like, 'It's okay, whatever happens, just play without stress'. I'm not a person who will take so much stress. So, whatever happens, happens - either bad or good. I just keep telling myself, no worries, bro. Just kill it. Whatever happens, we'll see."
"I am never that player who's like overconfident; I'm always under confident. I'm like, 'I don't think so this will happen'. But it's not like I am demotivating myself. If I'm playing for India right now, I don't tell that I'm an Indian team player. If other person comes and tells me, I'm like, 'Yeah, she's telling that'. I never do self-dabba (indirectly talking about yourself in a group)."
Off the field, Yashasri calls herself as a full of masti (fun) person who enjoys chilling with her friends. Her level of fun is so high outside of the field that she is completely unaware of the events in a cricket game when asked about it.
"I love having fun and all, but I am never bored. I do some time pass, and enjoy myself. I don't follow sports and even watch cricket matches. If you ask me what match is going on, or suppose who's batting, I can't tell what is happening. I just totally switch off. Cricket se sambandh nahi hai mera, bas on-field hai (I don't have anything to do with cricket off-field, it's just on-field)."
Besides her goals for the domestic season, Yashasri concludes by sharing a long-held desire: to receive personal guidance from NCA fast-bowling coach Troy Cooley in a one-on-one session. "I am very unfortunate. I really want to have one session with him. It's been two-three years of playing at this level."
"I've been going to NCA, but I've never got one chance under Troy, so I want that. He already saw me many times and said, 'Yashi, you have a good action and bowl well.' But I've never got that opportunity. I really hope that comes soon."