New Delhi, Mar 13, 2025, IANS

New Delhi, March 13 (IANS) After missing last season of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) due to a stress fracture in her foot, pace-bowling all-rounder Kashvee Gautam has taken the ongoing tournament by storm to emerge as a key player for the Gujarat Giants, who are all set to play their Eliminator game against the Mumbai Indians on Thursday evening. Impressing everyone with her speed and accuracy of attacking stumps, as well as her big-hitting ability with the bat, Kashvee has taken 10 wickets and is the second-highest Indian wicket-taker in the five-team competition, at an economy rate of just 6.29. In a jaw-dropping moment, she also danced down the pitch to hit a fiery Shabnim Ismail for six and also produced another wow moment in the tournament by castling Meg Lanning. It has not only played a pivotal part in her team's first-ever entry to the playoffs, but also boosted her chances of playing for the Indian team in a home ODI World Cup year. Despite all the accolades coming her way, Kashvee is refreshing maintaining a grounded perspective and her focus fixed on doing well for the side in the playoffs. "I think I am going game by game. Whatever game I play, I take it as my first game. Like, I have to start again.” “I am not thinking about my wickets that I have taken previously. So I think that process is working for me and I will stick to that only. I will contribute as much as I can for the team and for GG,” said Kashvee in an exclusive conversation with IANS. Despite not playing in WPL 2024, for which GG had roped her in for Rs two crore, Kashvee acknowledged t how the franchise showed confidence in her to come good in this season through an off-season camp held last year. “All the coaches were there. So according to that I got the role of bowling with a new ball, and get to bowl in death overs.” “For batting it was to bat at either six or seven and I could go up as well. So I had to be flexible in both batting and bowling. When I took runs and wickets there, I was pretty confident and coaches also showed confidence in me. So from there I felt that yes, I can do it.” After her recovery and domestic commitments were over, Kashvee’s meticulous WPL preparation involved fine-tuning all aspects of the game, including power-hitting, under her coach Nagesh Gupta’s academy in Zirakpur, Punjab. She also maintained a disciplined diet and rigorous fitness regimen to prevent injuries and ensure peak performance in the tournament. “I had to focus on my fitness to stay fit throughout the tournament. Plus, I did a lot of practice and preparation by watching videos of the batters from around the world and seeing them play - how they bowl, bat and according to that I prepared. Throughout the year I have taken care of my diet so that I stay away from injuries. I made a lot of changes to my diet and it is working for me.” “Power hitting is a point which was there in me from the beginning. I have practiced power-hitting more against faster bowlers. Like when bowlers bowled, I used to hit them in an open ground. I watched the batters in terms of which variation they get stuck more and are deceived. According to that I made plans for variations and implemented them in the match.” Among her standout moments in WPL 2025, Kashvee cherishes her performance against the Mumbai Indians, where she trapped skipper Harmanpreet Kaur lbw in Bengaluru, in what was just the third match of her season. "I wanted to take Harmanpreet Kaur's wicket. I had thought for a long time that I will take her wicket, and when I took it, I felt very good. It was just that I have to stay on my strength. I know that my balls will swing.” “Before the match, in practice, I talked to Pravin (Tambe, bowling coach) sir. He gave me a lot of inputs about the swing, like how much can it be extracted and where I can get more swing from on the pitch. From there I got confidence, and before any match now, I bowl a little to assess the conditions,” she added. Playing under the captaincy of Ashleigh Gardner has been a rewarding experience Kashvee, who appreciates the all-rounder’s calm demeanor and strategic acumen. "Under her captaincy, playing matches has been very cool. She keeps the environment very chill. I think the mindset she comes from, as she is one of the best all-rounders in the world, she knows what to feel about which batter.” “I go with that only, as per her feeling and I have complete faith in her. Whatever she feels for me, it works for me very well. So our tuning with all the bowlers and Ashleigh is very good. Her planning and plotting is something we can look up to.” The WPL's competitive landscape, featuring elite international players, has challenged Kashvee to elevate her game after missing the bus last year, but so far she has adapted to it to the T and hopes to do the same when the high-pressure knockout phase of WPL 2025 gets underway. “There is a lot of difference between domestic competitions and WPL, because every team here has international players. They are also the best and elite cricket players in the world. So I think you need to bowl and bat by thoroughly applying your mind. Like, you need to read the batter's mind and decide how to bowl to her. The fielding standards are very good here, so you need to fight hard as much as you can,” she signed off.