CHENNAI: Even before Kashvee Gautam went unsold in the first auction earlier this year, her coach Nagesh Gupta had a message for the youngster. "I told her, 'your name getting shortlisted is a big achievement in itself. If you get selected, well and good, if you don't, keep working harder'. Ek na ek din ho jayega. (It will happen one day)."
In less than 10 months, Gupta's heartbeats were through the roof when Gujarat Giants, UP Warriorz and Royal Challengers Bangalore were involved in a tussle for the uncapped 20-year-old, who ended up with a paycheck of Rs 2 crore from Gujarat.
"At one time, they stopped at around Rs 70 lakhs, and it was tense," Gupta told this daily. "We were hoping for her to get selected, but the amount she received is life-changing for Kashvee. Annabel Sutherland was the only other player to see multiple franchises vie for a player like this; she is one of the more established players. And getting this as an uncapped player is just surreal. I am sure she will learn a lot and grow more. I must say, Gujarat have got a hardworking player," the proud coach added.
Their journey as mentor and mentee started in 2017 when one of Gupta's friends suggested he look after this talented 14-year-old pacer. "When I saw her play in the first few days, she looked like an exciting prospect. She could swing the ball naturally and from that day I knew she would go a long way. Even as a young player, she was able to generate inswing because of her natural action, but there were issues with accuracy, line and length. We worked on it and I could see her mature as a bowler. If you look at her wickets in the domestic season, they are mostly bowled or LBW. Last season, she was not able to generate that much swing. She came back, worked hard and now that inswinger has become a lethal weapon for her," Gupta added.
That has worked wonders throughout the domestic season where she took 12 wickets in the senior women's T20 Trophy and five wickets in the only match she played for the North Zone in the inter-zonal T20 trophy. In 2023, she represented India in the Emerging Asia Cup and recently India A in the three-match series against England A, Gupta believes that prepared the youngster for tougher challenges.
"Those matches were eye-opening. After playing that standard of cricket, she realised she needed to keep pushing to be a better player. That's the best thing about her. She wants to learn, even when she is performing her best or she is at her lowest. I think it is the most important part of a player's journey that they should keep learning. That's the trifecta any coach wants, right? Hard work, talent and curiosity."
Gupta knows that's what makes her one of the best players in the country and she could be an asset for Gujarat. In Amanjot Kaur, his other mentee, who was part of the champions Mumbai Indians squad and has played a handful of games for the senior national team, Gautam has a role model to look up to.
"They started together at my academy in 2017 and since then they have pretty much practiced together. They keep motivating each other. When you look at someone you have played with representing India, it's a different kind of motivation. Something like if Aman can go at that level, 'I can do that as well'." Gupta knows the importance of having a senior player around for Gautam.
And the youngster is well aware of what she needs to do at the biggest stage available for her. "Mujhe bowling mein flexible hona padega (I have to be flexible with my bowling). I have to be ready to bowl when the team needs me and also give variations at this stage," she told the broadcasters from Mumbai where she is getting ready to lead Chandigarh in the women's U-23 T20 Trophy from December 10.
When asked whose wicket she wanted to take in the second season, she picked newly appointed Australian captain Alyssa Healy without missing a beat. Gupta thinks this is the opportunity the league is providing to the upcoming players. It's another window that can help players get the opportunity to play for the Indian team.
"The competition has pushed many domestic players to work on multiple aspects of their game. If you look at the recent domestic competitions, they were more competitive than before. One of the reasons is WPL. It's like one more window opened for them to get into the Indian team. It is here to stay," a confident Gupta added.
With his two pupils being part of one of the biggest franchise leagues in the world, he is a happy coach. After all, one of them is a current champion and the other just made history by becoming the most expensive uncapped player in the league.