Renuka Singh’s workload a concern? India coach opens up before Pakistan clash

India Today

Women's World Cup 2025, INDW vs PAKW: Bowling coach Avishkar Salvi said that India are looking at the workload of several of their players, including Renuka Singh, who has missed two out of four matches since her comeback.

Transcript

00:00Hi sir. Hello.

00:02There is a bit of a sound, so you will hear it.

00:08If you look at India and Pakistan in ODI cricket, there is no rivalry.

00:13But then there is also a big match.

00:16And if the off-field noise increases,

00:20then the team's management and the support staff

00:23increases to keep the players, the team, focused on the cricket itself.

00:27Can you just tell us how the management, the captain, the coach,

00:31everyone is working towards keeping the focus on cricket alone?

00:35Ma'am, when you enter into a big tournament like a World Cup,

00:38the area of focus is only cricket.

00:40And it's good to have the players into a good space.

00:44And as you saw in the first game, I mean, after that first win,

00:48obviously the team is on a momentum, on a roll.

00:50And they have been preparing well.

00:51I mean, whenever we are getting an opportunity to practice,

00:53they are practicing whenever there are opportunities

00:56to discuss about the game plans, they are discussing that.

00:58So everybody is in a good space where they are working in an ecosystem,

01:02where they are trying to get their A game onto the day, wherever it is.

01:06I have one more question, if I can go.

01:08As the bowling coach, I think your responsibility in carefully managing

01:13the two medium, the two paces, premier paces that we have.

01:17Both of them are coming on the back of injury.

01:20Renuka was rested for the first game.

01:23Looks like Aman wasn't here yesterday.

01:25How are you ensuring, you know, the workload balance and, you know,

01:31that you don't burn them out in the beginning, maybe?

01:35Yeah.

01:36So coming into the tournament, we have around 10 bowling options into the team.

01:39So obviously it's a long tournament.

01:41It's a 32-33 day tournament where we might need the services of any of the bowlers,

01:47like not just the fast bowlers, but the spinners as well.

01:49So as and when the rest is required, the recovery is required, they are into it.

01:54As and when the workloads are to be maintained, they are maintaining it.

01:57And they have not been doing it just now.

01:59They have been doing it for the last probably one and a half year now.

02:02So they know their bodies well, we know, we understand what they need

02:06to get their A-game onto display.

02:08So we are working towards it.

02:10Everybody is on the same page.

02:12Coach, all the best for the game.

02:15India has been fielding sort of five bowling options off late on the field.

02:19Five front-line bowlers.

02:21Especially with all the travel and different conditions coming into play,

02:25is there a point where you discuss the workload of the front-line bowlers

02:29and maybe play an extra bowling option like Arundhiti and Aman playing or something like that?

02:35Has there been a discussion on that?

02:37Or the focus is on making the batters roll their arms like Pratika did in Goati?

02:41If you ask me, depending upon the conditions, the team will take a call on to the playing 11,

02:47the choice of the playing 11.

02:49And if you see the kind of options that we have, obviously there are five options are there,

02:53but there are other options also within the team who have done so well at the international levels,

02:57not just economically, but they have also picked up wickets.

03:00So we have a lot of options within the group.

03:03Hello.

03:04This is Abhyan from Dawn.

03:05Nice to meet you, Bharat.

03:06Firstly, I had a question for the Indian captain, but since you are here, I will just ask you.

03:18We see that the women's side, both Pakistan and India, they have a good camaraderie before

03:23at least this World Cup.

03:24So do you think the bitterness from the Asia Cup might follow to the women's teams as well?

03:30And secondly, because you are familiar with the conditions in Colombo,

03:33you've done a stint with the Sri Lankan team as well.

03:35How do you gauge the conditions in Colombo?

03:37Hi.

03:38Just a reminder, please.

03:39We said that we're not taking that first question, so we'll move on to the second question.

03:43Okay.

03:44With regards to the second question, now that you have said that I've worked with the Sri Lankan team,

03:48I don't know when I worked with the Sri Lankan team.

03:50I've had my stint with the Oman team earlier.

03:53But yes, regarding the conditions, we came here in May.

03:57We had our share of understanding the surface.

04:01So that was a very good experience playing in these conditions over there.

04:04But those conditions and now the weather conditions are different.

04:07But we take it day by day.

04:09We take it on the day, what the situation is.

04:12And our side is good at adapting things.

04:14So right now, the area of focus is catering to the situation, whatever comes our way.

04:20Do you think it would be helpful for the Pacers?

04:23Can't say now because I've not seen the pitch.

04:26Because it was under the covers yesterday and today also we are not allowed to go into the ground.

04:30So I don't know how it will be.

04:31But coming to the question whether it will be helpful or not, whatever it is,

04:37the bowling attack is ready for whatever the situation is.

04:41Avishkar, hi. This is Rika Roy from NDTV.

04:45This is the fourth India-Pakistan game on a fourth Sunday, fourth successive Sunday.

04:52Given the set-up, what are you telling the girls?

04:55So the area of focus is also cricket again, where we want our girls to get their A-game onto the day.

05:01And we want them to, you know, take it just as a game.

05:05Because World Cup, it's a large campaign, it's a long campaign.

05:08There will be a lot of games coming our way.

05:10So take day by day, however it is.

05:12Work on your strategies, work on your plans.

05:14Be clear with whatever you want to achieve as a group and individually.

05:18And just execute it and just be calm and composed.

05:21Hi, Coach. All the best for the game.

05:25I know there's been a lot of focus on the pace attack.

05:26I just wanted to ask you a little bit about the spinners.

05:28Deepti, Sne, Charani, they've all been very, very good.

05:31It's gone a little under the radar also because we're focusing so much on the Pacers.

05:34Can you just tell me how they're coming along

05:36and how you're working with them through the course of the tournament as well?

05:39So Deepti, Sne, Rana and Sree Charani, it's a very good combination

05:43where there is a lot of experience also and there is youth as well.

05:46And as well as, I mean, if you've seen, they've been playing together

05:49since the last three, four series.

05:51And if you've seen, their combination is really working well for us.

05:55And also, they all are very hardworking girls.

05:58They are working well during the practice sessions, during the games.

06:01Post-games also the interactions are with them, where they want to improve

06:06and what they want to improve and how they want to improve

06:09are the questions around which these three are working around.

06:12So I see that they're very hungry to go out there and give their best for the country.

06:19Just to follow up there, because there's so much of an incentive on all-rounders

06:22and having these bowlers who can also bat, right?

06:25Deepti, Sne came good for us in that first game as well.

06:27Can you just tell me how you manage their bowling workloads there?

06:30Because then you have the focus on power hitting drills and all the batting drills that happen as well.

06:34So how do they balance those two departments?

06:36So what happens is typically when we plan for a tournament,

06:39the actual planning starts, I mean, almost two to three months before we come into the event.

06:45So starting from that day and the end result what we want to achieve,

06:50coming into that we decide on the number of practice sessions that each of the bowler needs to go through

06:55and the number of overs each of the bowlers has to go through to have their optimal output on the day.

07:02So accordingly we work backwards.

07:04On Sneerana especially, she had a really good series here in May.

07:11What has she, from what you've seen, taken from that series?

07:15So in that series she was the player of the series and she picked up a lot of wickets.

07:20Obviously she was well versed with the environment at that stage in time

07:24and she brings that confidence into the squad.

07:27I mean, she's a quality bowler obviously.

07:29So whichever conditions, wherever she plays, she is always delivered for India.

07:33And I believe that, I mean, that particular series and the kind of output that she got in that particular series

07:40will play a big part mentally as well for her.

07:43Coach, without bilaterals with Pakistan, on what basis are you evaluating the side and also with the 11-0 score line,

08:04can there be some complacency creeping into the Indian cricket team?

08:09So ma'am, there is a lot of info available for us.

08:12I mean, there is a lot of info.

08:13There are performance analysts who give us a lot of info regarding them.

08:16I mean, there are a lot of video footages.

08:18There are a lot of patterns that you can figure out how a team is playing, how an individual is playing.

08:24So on basis of that you can derive a lot of, you know, plans out of it.

08:29And coming back to your question on… what was the second question, sorry?

08:3311-0 score line…

08:34See, we take every game as per its merits and we go…

08:39we would like to prepare for every game with the best possible, you know, mindset that we have

08:43and accordingly we enter into the space.

08:45Hi Coach, there is one young champ in the bowling ranks as well in Kranti Gaurd.

08:59She has, like, justified a name, Kranti.

09:02What do you want to say about the youngster and how is she preparing for this game?

09:06Because it is a very big game, you know, at times players falter as well in such under pressure.

09:14So, what are your thoughts about her and how has she been preparing in this game?

09:19So, Kranti again, she is a very hard working girl.

09:21I mean, I have seen her working into the nets, into the… obviously into her physical aspect as well

09:28and the mental aspect as well.

09:30She is very curious about how to go about and what to do for her own betterment

09:35and she has been not just doing it in terms of words but she is following it with actions

09:40and in each of the practice sessions she wants to learn a lot of things

09:44and obviously whatever performances she has done so far, she knows that

09:48and she is up for the challenges.

09:50She is someone who is very, you know, very curious and wants those challenges for herself

09:55and generally she is a very hard working girl, I would say.

09:58Thank you everyone. Thank you. Thanks.

Category

Transcript

Be the first to comment

Recommended