Born in Chennai, UAE cricketer Vaishnave Mahesh, has the distinction of being the youngest ever to take 50 T20I wickets for UAE
Born in Chennai, UAE cricketer Vaishnave Mahesh, has the distinction of being the youngest ever to take 50 T20I wickets for UAE. Here in a freewheeling chat with commentator Baggs, she talks about her cricket journey thus far. An excerpt from the chat.
Cricket runs in family
I was born in Chennai and grew up in Dubai. My dad was a cricketer himself, so playing the game is in my genetics. Like any kid I played cricket with a plastic bat and ball with my dad in my house down in a small place. It started as a fun thing to do. I used to play badminton with my mother and cricket with father and we then had to identify what my interest was and I realised it was cricket
I enrolled into a cricket academy where among a bunch of boys I was the only girl. But I was happy to play with the boys. At the age of nine we came across an advertisement, a talent hunt by Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank in partnership with Simply Life. We had a training camp for a few days and a lot of boys had come for the trials. Again I was the only girl to get selected in the first season. During the training camp, there was a match that was hosted at the Dubai Cricket Stadium. I was 9-years-old then and they had selected only a few kids for it and I was the only girl in it. Prior to this match, there was an IPL match that was played at the venue between RCB & Kings XI. I was watching that match from one of the stands at the top, when I told my dad that one day I would want to play in this same venue.
Dream start
It was an honour to play at the Dubai Cricket stadium and the icing on the cake for me was that I took a wicket off the first ball of my first over. Anil Kumble sir was watching that game as he was the chief guest and it was a very happy moment for me.
International debut
Chamani Seneviratna handed me my cap on my debut. She has also played for Sri Lanka. To receive the cap from her was such an honour for me.
On choosing cricket as a profession?
The Simply Life event was an eye opener for us in terms of looking at cricket as a career option. I was just a kid at that time. Vijay Bhardwaj sir and Hemang Badani sir had a chat with my parents and they said that cricket was definitely a career option for me.
When I started at the academy, I used to tell everyone that I was a pace bowler and when I bowled I would reach the batter even before the ball arrived! That’s the pace I had. There was a coach named Tanveer at the academy and he said that my wrist movement was more similar to a leg-spinner and said ‘why don’t you try leg-spin.’.It was he who first made me bowl leg-spin. Whatever I’m today as a leg-spinner, the credit goes to him.
On her coaches
My first coach is my dad ()Mahesh). Appa has been a big support for me. He gives me a lot of insights about my game. Even if I make a few mistakes on the field, I come back home…sit and reflect about it with him.. When I bat, he bowls leg spin to me.
First international wicket
My first international wicket was against Hong Kong (Kary Chan was the batter). We were playing the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Asia Region Qualifier. I remember her hitting it to long-on and my first wicket was a catch. I felt really happy…
Bowling to India’s Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma and all I got to know where I stood a bowler. This is where I’m, how they were scoring against me, this is where I stand and that’s where they stand. It gave me a good insight. I saw Shafali bat at the U19 World Cup…I was standing at the slip and my captain was the wicket-keeper. She played an amazing straight drive against one of our best pacers and I will never forget that shot! It was a beautiful straight drive. I had an amazing view from the slip and I will never forget that 70 (78 runs) from Shafali.
First tour
When my name was announced for the tour, I was just 12, I was like…’Yay, I’m going for a tour’...I didn’t realise that I was representing a nation and I needed to be responsible. My parents were really concerned. Till then they never sent me alone to even a shop! My parents asked my coach “Isn’t she too young to travel on a tour…she doesn’t know anything…what if she makes a mistake…they were scared. I think the coaches’ response was satisfying to them and comforted them. They said that they were taking me to gain experience and she needs to see how international games are and that’s why we are taking her there and don’t worry we are all there for her…they took care of me like my family.
After I was handed my debut cap, my coaches advised me not to think of anything…just stick to the line and length…I didn’t get to bat in that match. I was gearing up for my first ball…and then…my first ball was a double-pitch no ball.
Everyone calmed me down but I was terrified. My first ball was a no-ball and what would I do, because at 12 you don’t understand the game.. You knew only to bowl line and length. But what I realised was we are in international cricket and it’s high pressure. I knew bowling a no-ball isn’t a great thing and also it was a double-pitched delivery. When I saw the umpire signal no ball, I was like… ‘Oh no…’ that’s how it started..then my captain and seniors spoke to me…they advised me to just bowl cross seam deliveries…it started like that.
Mentor and strength
During tough times I go to my parents. My mother grew with me when it comes to cricket,but my dad knows the game. So he understands how to handle failures. Even now, when I’m on tour, we have calls in the evening, we discuss how it went on the field. If I got hit for runs, my dad tells me where I could have bowled, maybe adjusted the length, field set up. Now Mukund sir and my coach back in Dubai all of them watch my game and they also give me different opinions on the game on what I do. I make notes out of it. When I feel the pressure, I sit and doodles.Art takes me out of cricket. I sing well. I play loud music and doodles.
Under Mukund sir, I have basically come to work on my bowling, batting and mental aspects of the game. When I first came here, I thought that I was spinning the ball…but it was Mukund sir who showed me what the turn was! I had to undo everything I had learnt from 9 years to 16 and started from scratch. I started with underarm spin bowling and it was a shock to me. I was a bit afraid....but then he spoke to my dad and said this is what we do when someone comes first and that it was his method. On the mental side, Mukund sir and Nirmal anna take care of it. Mukund sir is the first person now who listens to all my rants when I don’t bowl well! He would advise me to calm down and not think much.
Future plans
One of my goals is to do well, pick wickets against India…and likewise another ambition is to be part of the WPL. I don’t see going unsold at the auction this time as a failure. Being unsold is another thing to motivate you and do better. I felt a bit sad when I went unsold at the start, but looking at it I need to be more ready to be part of the WPL because the competition is different. The level is different. If I train hard to achieve it and by god’s grace if someone picks me up then that would be nice.
I’m studying 11th standard now. I have taken commerce just because of my cricket. As a kid, my mom and I used to dream of me becoming a cardiac surgeon, but after cricket I switched to commerce and it’s going well.