Women's World T20 2018 an opportunity for vibrant Pooja Vastrakar to showcase why she is quintessential T20 cricketer

Ever since Pooja Vastrakar became the first woman cricketer to score a fifty at No 9 in a 50-over match, against Australia in Vadodara earlier this year, her stocks as an accomplished hard hitting lower order batswoman have gone up drastically. Vastrakar also opened the bowling in that match and thought she swung the ball, she was given just three overs in which she did decently with figures of 0/16. A year on, the talented all-rounder has managed to keep the experienced Shikha Pandey out of India’s World T20 squad. [caption id=“attachment_4431591” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File image of Pooja Vastrakar. Courtesy: Twitter/@ICC[/caption] Such has been the dramatic rise that Vastrakar has even earned herself the nickname ‘Chota Hardik’ referring to Hardik Pandya. While the modest girl from Shahdol in Madhya Pradesh might not have the fanfare like Pandya, she has been compared to the Indian all-rounder for a reason. Vastrakar is a vibrant, exciting and hybrid cricketer, who will be crucial to India’s chances at the World Cup. Having just turned 19 last month Vastrakar is still raw and the team management will need to utilise her diligently. She should feature in the playing XI in each of the matches, but it is important that her role is defined. In June, during the Asia Cup, she was even promoted to No 3 to wield the axe and returned with run-a-ball scores of 11 and 20. But in the next match, she was demoted down the order. With Mitali Raj, Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues and Harmanpreet Kaur locked in at the top of the order, it is only appropriate that Vastrakar is given the power-hitting role in the lower order.  It is imperative that the team let her bat with freedom rather than burdening her with pressure. It is also worth noting that Vastrakar is simply not a slogger. She has a good technique and plays some classical cricket shots. In the series against Australia, she hit a couple of glorious inside-out cover drives and also timed the ball sweetly during the Asia Cup. She has plenty of ability with the willow, but the new coach, Ramesh Powar must find a way to ensure she fulfills her potential in the Caribbean. More importantly, it is with the ball that Vastrakar needs to be at her best. The retirement of Jhulan Goswami and the absence of Shikha Pandey has meant that the fast bowlers are lacking in experience, and Vastrakar has big shoes to fill.  Like all fine bowlers, Vastrakar needs to form a strong partnership with new ball bowler Mansi Joshi.  Spin will play a big role in the tournament, but if Vastrakar can strike up front it will allow the spinners to attack the opposition middle order. The MP girl is an attacking bowler and has a lovely outswinger. Her recent performances also indicate she is a fast learner. During her initial foray, she would continue to bowl the fuller length throughout but has now learned to hit the back of the length. On the slower pitches of West Indies, the ball is likely to stop on the surface and Vastrakar needs to ensure she can find the right length once the ball stops swinging. While Vastrakar has the tendency to be expensive, her record in T20 matches is quite impressive. In 11 matches she has taken 12 wickets at 18.50 with a strike-rate of 16.5. As T20 cricket continues to evolve one aspect that teams are learning is that wickets are still the best method to stop the opposition and Vastrakar’s strike-rate proves that she is a genuine wicket-taker.  Whether it is with the new ball or at the death, if Vastrakar can chip away then it will ensure India can apply the clamps. The 19-year-old missed the T20 series against Sri Lanka recently but had an excellent Asia Cup in June. She picked up five wickets in three matches and also kept her economy under five runs an over. But that was against the lower ranked teams. Vastrakar will need to raise her game thoroughly as she will come up against some of the most accomplished batswomen in World cricket during the pool stages. Twenty20 teams are structured on batting depth, all-rounders and spin. For India, Vastrakar covers the two bases. She is also a brilliant fielder and has a potent throw. Overall she is the quintessential T20 cricketer and the World Cup in the West Indies looms as a major stepping stone for Vastrakar to prove to the world that she is one of the emerging stars of the game. India will be hoping that she can live up to her potential and deliver with the bat, ball and in the field.