NAGOYA: Harmanpreet Kaur and her battle hardened peers have trotted the globe plying their trade. They know the best grounds across the world and their playing conditions. So when they reached the Korogi Athletic Park everything changed.
The ground was a makeshift cricket ground with three sides barricaded with high baseball nets. The pitch is hybrid and the setting stunningly beautiful. The team adapted to the conditions as expected with ease. It was sunny and the sky was deep blue with the highlands in the background. There were volunteers at each crossing to guide pedestrians to the venue. There was a mix of Indian, Sri Lankan and Japanese crowd as Harmanpreet and Co went about doing what they know the best. Electing to bat, score a mammoth 216 for three in their allotted 20 overs. Sri Lanka did not last long, getting out for just 69 runs. Match itself seems too one-sided and bereft of excitement except when India batted and belted the Lankans to all parts of the ground.
Getting used to conditions is nothing new to the team. But in Japan they had to adapt to something they have not encountered earlier except the pitch. Since Japan is not known to play cricket, the team was prepared for any predicament that awaited them.
Harmanpreet said as much after the victory ceremony with the gold medal dangling around her neck as dusk set in. "We were playing on a hybrid pitch and having recently played on hybrid pitches in England, we knew that this would offer a bit more bounce" she said. "However, they didn't change the pitch. Initially, they said only the first game would be on the hybrid pitch and that we would return to turf pitches after that. But because of the rain and weather, I think they weren't able to prepare the second set of pitches - the turf ones. So we knew hybrid pitches hold up well - they provide good bounce and good pace. And since matches were happening back-to-back, we figured the wicket might slow down a bit. That actually worked in our favour because our spinners were getting nice revs and good turn off the pitch."
"Even though we had never played in Japan before, we adjusted ourselves accordingly." In fact the team enjoyed every bit of what was on offer. "We enjoyed whatever was there, however it was our mindset that the faster we adapted to the situation, the better it would be for us."
Harmanpreet said the team was not taken by surprise and prepared for any eventuality. “For us, it was just about what the venue is like,” she said. “The moment we got to know that the venue is Japan, we knew that this country isn't that cricket-friendly, so it was possible that it might not have the world's best facilities. But knowing Japan, we knew that they would manage something or another and try to provide good facilities.” The 37-year-old said that whatever facilities they provided were good. “The ground facilities were good. I know other facilities that we were talking about weren't of that level, but still, they managed really well.
The Asian Games medal means a lot to her and the team too. There is a logic behind this. She said that as a cricketer, they always wanted to be part of the Asian Games, Commonwealth, or Olympics, because they have always participated in bilateral series or World Cups, ICC World Cups, or the Asia Cup. "But we didn't know how it feels when you play for a medal and work hard for it - what significance that holds in life. We didn't have much experience with those things. Thankfully, in the last two editions, we got the opportunity to play, and we were very happy".
This will also be a stepping stone for the Olympics. Even in the US conditions will be new including the ground and pitches. “We know that facilities-wise, we can't control many things. But on the pitch, how quickly we adapt ourselves will be helpful for us, because even in LA, we know cricket isn't that famous, and they will also try to give whatever is possible or whatever best they can do. But at the same time, our focus will remain on the game, and we will try to adapt according to how we can do our best on that pitch and in those conditions.