How Mumbai achieved dream of retaining their Senior Women’s T20 Trophy title at Wankhede

New Delhi, Nov 14 (IANS) Upon taking a single off Titas Sadhu on the second ball of the 13th over, Vrushali Bhagat raised her arms in celebration and claimed a stump from the non-striker’s end as a memento. With her jubilant teammates rushing to embrace her, Vrushali’s act of collecting the stumps marked the culmination of a long-held dream for both herself and Mumbai – winning the Senior Women’s T20 Trophy at home, the Wankhede Stadium.

Mumbai’s bowlers dominated in the final, restricting Bengal to 85 runs. Vrushali’s aggressive 45 runs and her partnership with captain Humairaa Kaazi (41 not out) secured an easy win in 12.3 overs. A thumping win for Mumbai at their home ground meant they retained their title and won on November 9, 2023.

“It was our dream. We had never won in Mumbai before, and we wanted to win. Even now, I can’t say it in words. But it felt so good that we won the title again in Wankhede. I didn’t play so many matches in the tournament. But I knew that I would get an opportunity in the finals. So, I was always prepared and ready to face any situation,” says Vrushali in an exclusive conversation with IANS.

Vrushali’s participation in the title clash against Mumbai was her first-ever experience in a knockout match, and she helped them win. Her enterprising shot choices in the final made for delightful viewing, showing she’s no stranger to rising to the occasion in big games. Vrushali says her hitting the winning runs and scooping a four off Titas will forever live rent-free in her mind.

She will also remember with delight Mumbai’s convincing quarterfinal win, where they bowled out the formidable Railways team for a paltry 48 to secure a 61-run win. Despite Vrushali not playing, Mumbai’s resounding win against Railways was a significant result, as many thought their score of 109 wouldn’t be enough to win. “But, at that time, the history became different, as we were the ones who defeated them. So, I will always be proud of the fact that we defeated Railways. When I joined the Mumbai cricket team, it was a dream to defeat Railways, as everyone knew how good a team they are.”

According to Vrushali, Mumbai began preparing for the tournament in June. Players devoted themselves fully to the fitness camp during the first two months. “No matter how much rain it was, no one took a day off. We were just playing, whatever it was. As of now, we are still fit and no one has had a major injury,” she recalls.

Before their tournament began in Vadodara, Mumbai played practice matches against Pondicherry and Maharashtra. They then spent 20-25 days further preparing for the league stage.

“All of us were on the same page from day one. Our bunch has been the same for the last 10 years. But we have been winning in the last two years because of our preparation and planning. Especially with Sunetra mam having all the plans, which made things easy for us,” says Vrushali.

The Sunetra mam being referred to by Vrushali is Sunetra Paranjape, the Mumbai head coach, now a two-time Senior Women’s T20 Trophy-winning coach.

Sunetra represented India in three Test matches and 28 ODIs before transitioning into coaching. Sunetra is one of only two women, alongside Aarti Sankaran from Chennai, to have completed the BCCI Level 3 coaching certification.

“Sunetra mam has always been supportive. She knows which player is going to leave her mark at which time in a game – like she made match-ups common.”

“She always made such changes around it team combination-wise. She was always ready in preparing for a match, and had her plans ready all the time, especially when we were doing fitness sessions in the indoor area. She would say, ‘This is our team. We have to win in this, or get a certain player out in that way’. So, it made life very easy for us in the tournament, as players didn’t have to think much about what to do, as we got all plans from her,” added Vrushali.

Mumbai’s dominant title-winning run saw just one moment of doubt when they narrowly lost to Goa by a single wicket in Vadodara. Despite finishing as the second-best team in Group A, Mumbai’s strong sense of self-belief carried them all the way to the trophy. “We knew that we were going to make a comeback. So, we didn’t feel the pressure. After that loss to Goa, when we were in the league phase, we just focused on the matches. And didn’t give anyone an opportunity to come back and take the game away from us,” says Vrushali.

She frankly acknowledges that life as a Mumbai cricketer hasn’t been easy. Coached by Milind Tamane, Vrushali has been a witness to a lot of ups and downs in the last two-three years but calls herself fortunate to have got support from family.

Her father played tennis-ball cricket, while her elder sister played club cricket, before taking up a new career route to stabilise the family financially. The unwavering backing of these three individuals has inspired Vrushali, whose love for playing cricket began as a young kid, to never miss a chance to showcase her skills in the Mumbai set-up.

“I don’t get many playing opportunities. I don’t have the results in my hand, but I can put in the effort. Whenever I put in the effort, I get the result. Especially, when the team needs it, I am always ready to do the hard work. The coach tells me that I should focus on doing my best, instead of fretting over the results. The support I get from my family is so crucial, as the elder sister knows how to deal with ups and downs in cricket.”

The year-round tournaments organised by the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) have helped players hone their skills. “So, there are more playing opportunities through different types of tournaments. Mumbai supports us very well. We get what we want, that’s why we give results,” she said.

Mumbai’s celebration after winning the title included a dinner, a late-night party, and a video call from Jemimah Rodrigues, currently playing in Australia’s WBBL.

Vrushali’s post-victory celebrations were shortened because she had to play a match for the Rajawadi Cricket Club in the MCA Women’s Cricket League 2024 the next morning. Her club had lost their last match, and Vrushali came back to pick three wickets for five runs as her team won the game with bonus points. With newfound confidence in her aggressive playing style, Vrushali is now determined to win more trophies for Mumbai. The recent victory in the Senior Women’s T20 Trophy at Wankhede suggests they have a good chance of winning the One-Day title as well.

“I wasn’t there when Jemimah video-called the team, but later, she messaged me. We have been playing together for a long time, and Jemimah felt that my shots in the final were at a different level. She also said this is my strength area, and that I should back it a lot more now.”

“Jhulu di (former India pacer Jhulan Goswami, now Bengal mentor) also told me that it is important for me to play with this strength and attitude. As a Mumbai team, we will try to do better than this, because, there is a one-day trophy coming next month. We lost in the quarter-finals last time, but will try to do better this time,” concluded Vrushali.

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