Having made her debut for the UAE at the age of 12, Vaishnave Mahesh has risen through the ranks and is now her country’s leading wicket-taker. The leg-spinner started off at a really young age and now aged just 19, it feels like she is just about getting started.
The Women’s Asia Cup may have started off on a disappointing note but a win in their remaining two matches could still see them script history and make the semis.
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In a chat with The Crichub, Vaishnave talks about her journey, Asia Cup and the role legends like Anil Kumble and Shane Warne played in shaping her.
The Crichub (TCH): You came to the UAE from Chennai at a young age and from there, you came and playing the cricket for UAE. How was the journey, if you could explain that?
Vaishnave Mahesh (VM): I used to wait for my dad to come from office. Then we used to go down and play. That’s how cricket started in life. I started off cricket at a very young age, around 5 or 6. I used to wait for my dad to come back from office. And then we used to go down to the ground floor to play.
I shifted to Dubai when I was 2. So, I’ve almost lived all my life here in Dubai. And at the age of 9, I had the opportunity to be a part of one of ADCB’s [Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank] programs called Simply Life.
And there, Anil Kumble sir, Vijay Bharadwaj sir, Hemang Badani sir, Pramila Bhatt ma’am, all of them had come. And they were overseeing the whole program. And among so many boys over there, I was one of the girls to get picked.
And I played my first game at the age of 9 or 10 at the Dubai stadium. The first over that I bowled, I got a wicket of a 15-year-old boy. And it was fortunate for me that Anil Kumble sir was watching that. Then post the game, he came and spoke to my dad and me. And he said… Even the other coaches, they all said that, you know, she’s got the talent. Why don’t you try and pick this up as a career more than looking at this as a hobby.
TCH: And now, you are the highest wicket taker for UAE at such a young age. How is that feeling?
VM: It’s more like a blessing for me to be the highest wicket taker for the country. I’ve been here for so long. And I have to thank the board. And I have to thank every captain that I’ve played under.
Humaira Tasneem, Chaya Mughal, Esha [Oza], who is our current captain. They’ve all given me the opportunity to be a part of pressure situations, to be a part of the wicket-taking group. So, I think to have captains who give you the opportunity to bowl at the right time, at the right moments- I think that’s what has brought me to this stage of being the highest wicket-taker.
TCH: So, you started your career…I mean, Anil Kumble was there at that time. After that, did you get an opportunity when he saw you bowl or offer you some tips?
VM: At that time, he didn’t give me many tips because I was really, I was a really small kid. So, he just said, ‘Bowl line and length’. But later on, one of RR [Rajasthan Royals] Academy’s programs was being run.
And I met Shane Warne sir. So, it was a huge blessing because I had met Anil Kumble sir, then Shane Warne sir. I think it all felt like everything was happening at the right moment. It’s a perfect; it’s a dream for a leg-spinner.
So, I asked him a few doubts regarding, okay, if there’s a left-hander, how do I bowl? So, there were a few things that were going on in my head. I asked him. He gave me a few tips on how to keep things simple and not overthink it all.
TCH: I was watching you bowl in the nets for a good 45 minutes today or maybe an hour. And before every delivery, I was watching that you were setting the field and then bowling. Tell me a bit about how this helps you in matches.
VM: I think, to me, nets and matches are the same thing. Like, if you don’t simulate a match in a net, if you get directly into a pressure situation, then it gets difficult for the bowler. So, I think it’s very important to always simulate a match situation, put yourself into a match situation and then bowl in the nets.
Because this is where you can try. This is where you know where you are going wrong. And it’s our own batters.
So, we can always set fields. And to me, when I’m bowling to Isha, I’m not thinking I’m bowling to Isha. I’m always thinking I’m bowling to a Chamari Athapaththu or a Harmanpreet Kaur. Someone like that. So, then I set fields accordingly. Okay, if a left-hander is playing, then this is the field I’m going to have.
Then if I’m going to try something, I change up the field. So, I just keep trying new things. Because this is where you can try. This is where you learn. This is your workplace.
TCH: Could you shed some light on why you chose to be a leg-spin bowler, something that his considered a tough art?
VM: I think leg spin came to me by chance, not by choice. I started off as a normal medium-pace bowler. And one of the coaches saw that my hand was turning like a leg spinner, not going straight.
And he said, why don’t you become a leg spinner? So, it was him who saw that. And if it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be where I am today. So, that coach is who started this whole leg spin journey for me.
TCH: Now, coming to the Asia Cup part, it was a disappointing start for your team. So, you have two matches in the group and you have to win both matches to qualify for the semi-finals. So, are you optimistic about qualifying for the semi-finals? And what is the team thinking?
VM: Firstly, we are very optimistic because I think a loss does not define a team. We have beaten India A before. We have gotten close to [beating] Sri Lanka. So, I think one bad game doesn’t define a whole team’s years of effort. We still have two games to go. We have one against Indonesia and one against Bangladesh.
And we are still looking to roll over both teams. And we are practicing hard. We are giving our best efforts, praying to God as well.
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