Express News Service
CHENNAI: As the Indian women faced their first-ever ODI defeat against Bangladesh on Sunday, there was one performance that was the silver lining for the visitors. Debutante Amanjot Kaur took four wickets for 31 runs to help India keep the hosts to 152. And with that, she also ended her wait for her first international wicket, having made her T20I debut back in January.
For someone who hadn’t gotten much opportunity to bowl — Amanjot bowled three overs in the 10 Women’s Premier League games she played for Mumbai Indians — this series was always going to be different. With Shikha Pandey and Renuka Singh not in the squad, she was in line to take more responsibility with the ball. And having worked on her bowling in the time she had after the WPL, she was ready for it.
After the WPL, she had worked on her run-up and wrist position with her coach Nagesh Gupta at Cricket With Nagesh Academy in Punjab. “We made the run-up a little bit longer. The rhythm was good because of it. Even in the match (ODI) her run-up was smooth. The wrist position, too, we worked on it so that she is able to move the ball both ways,” Nagesh told The New Indian Express.
However, it did not end there. During the fitness and skill camps she was a part of in the National Cricket Academy in the months after, Amanjot worked with Troy Cooley, who was the senior team’s bowling coach during the tri-series and T20 World Cup in South Africa earlier this year.
“He asked us what we wanted to work on. We said a few things and he had a few suggestions. We worked on them, whether it was variations, bouncers, how to approach different pitches, how to plan for different batters, when to use the slower ball and when to bowl fast and full and so on. It helped a lot,” the India all-rounder told The New Indian Express in a conversation before leaving for Bangladesh.
The result was evident on the field in the first ODI as Amanjot was swinging the ball both ways on a surface that was slow and largely helpful for spinners. The Punjab all-rounder stuck to the basics, bowled good lines and lengths and reaped the rewards. “While she is really happy about the wickets when I spoke with her, Amanjot is motivated to do more and improve her accuracy,” says Nagesh.
While the 23-year-old is just starting to make a mark on the field at the highest level, she has come a long way off it. The sacrifice her father Bhupinder Singh has made over the years and the perseverance with which Nagesh has pushed her to get to this level is no secret and Amanjot holds it dearly as well. In fact, the bond she shares with her coach and family means everything to her.
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Her grandmother was up all night to watch her play for India when she made her T20I debut in South Africa. “She watched the full match (in which she won the match for India with her batting performance) and also the full toss I got and the free hit I got. She asked ‘there is one fielder and you hit it straight to her,” laughs Amanjot.
“Whatever I have become so far, it happened because of my father, Nagesh sir and all those people who contributed to it. Whether it is morning sessions or planning the training based on my availability. My dad used to leave his work (carpentry) to drop and pick me up from practice. They keep an eye on my diet. People at home don’t eat eggs, but they make them separately for me so that I get the necessary nutrition. Usually Mondays are my days off, but if I have a tour or matches, Nagesh sir will come and train with me.”
Today, things have changed for the better in Amanjot’s life. She is an India cricketer, was signed by Mumbai Indians for Rs 50 lakh and is one of the up and coming all-rounders in the country. The financial stability and independence means a lot for any athlete and Amanjot is no different. From watching her father wake up early in the morning everyday, work all through the week, today she is delighted that Bhupinder is taking time off because of her.
“It is very important. You need money for diet, physio, practice, travel etc, can’t keep asking parents. Sometimes it would be like how many times can I ask them for money. To ask them every single time will not feel good. It will be very helpful and parents also will be reassured that their child is doing and making something for herself. They do not have to worry too much about it,” she says.
“My dad has started taking breaks now. Earlier, he didn’t. He used to work on Sundays just like weekdays. Now, he has toned it down. He is assured that his daughter is doing well for herself. So he works three days and takes off for three. He is getting old. He has to look after his body. He can’t keep working, especially when the work is physical. Now, if my parents or grandparents need anything, I do not have to think twice about it. If they need something and tell me, I can get it for them. It means a lot to me as well.”
Having been through the journey she has been, Amanjot’s humility comes as no surprise. It is something Nagesh has reiterated to her all through her career. “I always tell her to be humble in life. We have to see a lot in life. Otherwise it will be difficult. One can go to any height in life, but the number one quality in life is being humble and then being kind. They are correlated. Whether you get success or not, it is secondary. You always have to be humble,” says Nagesh.
On the cricketing field, Amanjot is keen to grab the chances she gets with both hands. She wants to be an all-rounder for the Indian team. And what’s more, the team management wants her to do well as well. That she is the only pace bowling all-rounder in the 15-member squad for the Asian Games tells a lot.
“She is the all-rounder we are looking at for our future. It was her debut. We have seen her in our domestic season, let’s see how it goes. It has been a good start for her and she is a fighter,” Rajib Dutta, India bowling coach for the series, said after the first ODI.
Nagesh, too, agrees. “This is a golden opportunity to make a permanent place in the team. The team management are backing her and playing her. She is getting to bowl as well. Now, she should make plans to do well and secure her spot in the team,” he said.
Whether she will do it or not, only time will tell. What can be said for sure is that Amanjot is ticking all the boxes and moving forward in the right direction.
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