'Our bowling plans went haywire, but everything worked out in the end'

Arati Vaidya has watched over 1000 women's games, first as a match referee and the last five years as a selector. As she wound up her stint as a selector in a blaze of glory, she reflected about the planning, campaign, factors that contributed to India's victory, the future of Harmanpreet Kaur and also the initial non-selection and eventual selection of Shafali Varma, the player of the final. Excerpts from an interview...

From what point did you start planning for the World Cup campaign?

Actually, in a span of five years, we had two T20 World Cups. We were really contemplating having a core group of players, around which others would revolve depending on the format. That was basically our plan.

A few months before the World Cup, the team management placed its faith in Sree Charani and Kranti Gaud - both of whom had impressed in the WPL and went on to play integral roles in the World Cup. What prompted the selection committee to opt for them ahead of several more experienced players?

We needed that left-arm option, and we introduced Sree Charani quite late. Earlier, we were considering Radha Yadav, but she was a bit on and off. We needed a bowler who could be consistent and give us that impetus. If you see, the leg-spinners unfortunately had a lot of injury issues. We brought in Priya Mishra, but unfortunately, she got injured. Even Renuka (Thakur) was in and out, struggling with injuries, and we had to rest her in important games. We introduced Kashvee Gautam - she too got injured. Pooja Vastrakar as well. Our bowling plans really went haywire. After watching domestic cricket closely for two years, we felt these players could give us that much-needed impetus.

Yastika Bhatia was really unlucky. Even Pratika Rawal. We were really hoping to have a stable opening pair, at least for the 50-over format. Pratika had been doing quite well - she had just scored a hundred before the Bangladesh match. We had a lot of injury concerns, but fortunately, everything worked out really well in the end.

What was the most difficult decision for the committee to take - in terms of including or excluding certain players?

The players mentioned above went through their rehab at the CoE. We weren't even sure about their recovery timelines. Take Yastika, for instance - she got injured during the WPL, missed the Australia series, made a comeback, and then, just before the World Cup, got injured again. The core of the team remained the same, but because of all these injury concerns, it became really difficult to go through that phase of the selection process.

In the home series against Australia, even though India lost, they did play fairly well. But they also went with 6 front-line bowling options. What prompted the change in approach in the World Cup?

We were actually discussing it with the coaching staff and even with the captain. If you look back from 2022 onwards, it's been quite tough for us - for the team and everyone involved. We couldn't qualify for the semifinals - that last ball no-ball and all that. We were getting really close to victories but somehow kept missing those opportunities. We have a strong batting lineup, but where we were struggling was in the bowling department.

With all the injury concerns, we felt that having some variation - maybe an all-rounder capable of bowling 10 overs - could really help us. If you see, our margins of defeat were very narrow. So we discussed it and tried to find a solution. The Australia series was the best opportunity to test that idea - and it worked.

Since our experienced players were getting injured, we felt it was worth trying this new approach. Instead of going with six pure batters, we could go with two all-rounders who can bowl, along with two or three main frontline bowlers. That was the well-thought-out strategy. When we realised at a certain point that some players wouldn't be part of the side because of injuries, I think we were all mentally prepared for it. But Pratika's case was really very sad - I personally felt very bad for her.

How surprised were you by Shafali bowling? Actually, Laura Wolvaardt said South Africa were not prepared for Shafali bowling.

Not surprised at all, because she's been bowling on and off. Even in the last World Cup, she bowled - this is how the strategy works. It wasn't something new. Shafali has bowled in T20Is as well. For that matter, even Jemimah (Rodrigues) has bowled in a few matches over the past four years, and even Smriti Mandhana. If the frontline bowlers don't click, they're our fallback options. If you look at the Test match we played in Mumbai against Australia (in December 2023) - the one we won - Harman bowled there too and picked up wickets.

Which player's selection and backing as a committee are you'll most proud of?

Apart from the core group, a player like Sneha Rana has made a comeback. Radha Yadav has returned too, along with Amanjot Kaur. And of course, Sree Charani. At least three to four players we've been backing have come back and performed well.

What is your assessment of the reserves that Indian cricket currently has?

There's immense talent. We've won two U-19 World Cups back-to-back. A selector's job is to identify talent and put players through the right processes - the rest depends on the players. After this World Cup victory, these 15 players, and those who will represent India in the future, will become role models for so many young girls. That's a very, very good sign. And I just hope all those aspiring players who look up to them will have the ambition to play for India one day.

Do you have any advice for the present selection committee?

In the new selection committee, everyone is experienced - all of them have played for India, so they know what it takes. Even the new chairperson, Amita Sharma, has been with the team for a long time before. They've all been together for quite some time, and we've had healthy discussions. They've also reached out to us for inputs on what could be done. There's a really positive and healthy spirit within the group.

A T20 World Cup (in June-July 2026 in England) is coming up. What are the areas that India still needs to sharpen on?

With the amount of cricket being played these days, you're almost having five or six series every year. It's really important that players look after their fitness, because the body does take a toll. Every player needs to understand their own body. I'm very sure they'll be well taken care of at the CoE, which is a world-class facility for cricket. So yes, I think the systems are very much in place. It all comes down to how hard you work and how well you perform for India - that's up to the players. Many of the Under-19 girls will now make the transition to senior cricket, so the selectors have plenty of options to choose from.

How much is the impact of the WPL? Three years after the IPL was launched in 2008, India won the World Cup at home in 2011. The same way, three years after the WPL was launched, Indian women won the World Cup at home.

If you could see the scores of women's cricket earlier, it would be 250 at the most. Nobody was crossing 300. Now, with the advent of the WPL every team started playing their shots. They can set big targets and then they have made the game more exciting. Obviously, the WPL has helped. With the WPL coming up, you have a lot of players who are playing cricket.

And one more thing - if you look at everything that's happened right from 2020, Mr. Jay Shah has taken a great deal of interest in women's cricket. With the start of the WPL and all the developments since, the credit for promoting women's cricket really goes to him.

A word on Jemimah Rodrigues - she engineered one of the best chases in the World Cup.

I remember we picked her from school cricket - she was very, very young at the time. One thing about her was that she was always disciplined, hard-working, and focused. If you watch her earlier innings closely, you'd notice she often got to 30 or 40 - she would settle in but couldn't quite convert it into a big score. But that day was her day, and she proved that she could. What an extraordinary innings that was.

Is it time to ease Harmanpreet Kaur off captaincy?

The T20 World Cup is coming up, and next year we also have quite a few important tournaments. There's also a Test match against England, and I think there's a Champions Trophy or something (in 2027) like that as well. In my opinion, this is too short a period to hand over the captaincy to someone else. That's just my personal view - I'm not speaking on anyone's behalf. I've seen a lot of change in her; she's been handling pressure situations really well. You know, sometimes a player just needs that bit of time, because captaincy is very, very challenging - it's not easy at all.

The big question - what was the reason for not having Shafali Verma even in the reserves for the World Cup?

We had actually started preparing for this tournament about one and a half years back. We were looking for stability in the opening. Smriti was doing great work, but we needed another stable batter. We brought in Pratika because she was a technically better batter - someone who had the perfect game for a 50-over format. And she proved that in domestic cricket and she proved herself again in the World Cup too.

We needed that kind of solidity. You see, being in a selector's position is never about doing something against someone - we always think about what's best in the interest of the game. Like you asked about Shafali bowling - there, we really didn't have many options because of the injuries. So, we did whatever best we could for the team.

We were very clear - the management, the coaching staff, the selectors, and the captain - all of us were on the same page. Since the tournament was in India, we had the option of selecting any reserve, but only in case of an injury. Unfortunately, as I mentioned earlier, Yastika got injured before the World Cup, and then Pratika got injured just before the semifinal. Obviously, the replacement had to be made and naturally an opener would come in. She was also doing very well in domestic cricket, so that move was in the best interest of the game.

Pratika was doing an excellent job, and suddenly losing a player performing that well meant we needed an experienced replacement, especially since it was a World Cup match. So, Shafali was brought in. And of course, nobody denies Shafali's talent. It was simply a case of losing two openers - there was nothing against anyone.

And so, who picked Shefali? The old committee or new committee?

The option was open to the management. Since the World Cup was in India, there was no problem in bringing in any player when needed. We had all the options available here itself. The main point is that in case of any injury concern, you can bring in any player suitable for that position. It's as simple as that. It was never anything against anyone.

Now, tell me - in any World Cup, have you ever seen two openers getting injured? This was an extraordinary situation. But again, as I said, she had to be there, and she did very well. It worked out in the best interest of the team. I strongly believe in teamwork, and I feel that whatever best could be done for the team, everyone involved did exactly that.

Finally, what next for you? What are your plans?

See, even before being on the selection committee, I was a match referee. I've watched more than 400 domestic matches, and in these last five years alone, I must have crossed 800 or 900 matches easily - including Under-19 games. So yes, I've seen a lot of talent, and I continue to see a lot of it. As of now, I haven't been approached by anyone. Maybe in the future, if someone does approach me, I would like to be a part of a franchise. But my first preference will always be the BCCI.