KOCHI: Guiding a young Meghalaya team to bag third place at the Senior Women’s One Day Trophy held in Puducherry recently was a proud achievement for Saranya R S. The national tournament has also been the 28-year-old’s first outing as coach of the Meghalaya women’s cricket team. Having had a successful spell as the coach of Assam women’s cricket team previously, the experience and positive energy that Saranya brought to the Meghalaya side helped it to excel in the tournament.
According to the player, what she achieved with the Meghalaya side, that was relatively new to cricket, was possible only due to the determination and passion shown by her players. Debasmita Dutta (captain), Saee K Purandare, Riticia Nongbet, Neha Hajong, Daiaka Warjri, Avril K Syiem and Luiza Tamang are the players she praised. But among them, skipper Debasmita Dutta, who suffered a finger injury before the tournament, stood out for her leadership skills. “She decided to participate despite the injury. Seeing her bowl with one arm also boosted the morale of the entire squad,” said Saranya.
After coming to Meghalaya, Saranya has also managed to bring the best out of certain players. As per BCCI’s official website, the Meghalaya players currently rank among the top five in runs acquired and wickets fallen, most dot balls bowled, most number of boundaries and most century categories within the country. Saranya admits that preparing a team that had only one season of cricket was a challenging task. “I did not expect such a massive change when I joined. My main aim was to get the best out of them and increase the team bonding,” she said.
According to her, a one and half week preparation camp prior to the tournament, arranged with the help of Meghalaya Cricket Association, also helped the team adjust to the playing conditions in Puducherry. Saranya is a former captain of the Kerala women’s team. Saranya is continuing to train the players through online sessions to maintain their fitness during the lockdown period. Optimistic about the future of women’s cricket in the country, she stresses the need for more tournaments. “Multi-day tournaments and domestic leagues like the Indian Premier League (IPL) should be held for women as well. Presently, woman cricketers play only inter-state matches which needs to change in order to improve their caliber” she said.