n How much did the experience of playing in the Big Bash league help youIJ
Playing in the Women's Big Bash league was a very big achievement for me. The experience that I got there helped me in the World Cup. I hope that just as myself and Smriti (Mandhana) got the opportunity to play in the WBBl, other players of our team will also be able to play in that tournament and improve their game with that experience. In fact, I hope they are able to play in the upcoming season of WBBl. Just as the cricket board in Australia started Big Bash league for women, if our board also creates an IPl for women, players from other countries would come here and play alongside us as well as share dressing-rooms with us. That will increase our confidence to a very high level. Overall, I really enjoyed playing in Australia and my performance in WBBl helped me contribute more to my team's cause and that was a great achievement for me.
What do you regard as the bigger achievement, beating arch-rivals Pakistan or the victory over Australia in the semi-finalIJ
Both matches were important. Only by winning both could we qualify for the final. Whether it's Pakistan or any other team, our goal is always to win. All matches were equally important to us, not just the one against Pakistan.
Did your experience of playing with and alongside Australian players in WBBl make you more comfortable when playing against them in the semi-finalIJ
My goal in that match was to help the team by setting up a good platform for the team from which we could post a good score. Since I had played with those bowlers for about two months in WBBl, I was confident while facing them. I also had prior knowledge of the quality of their bowling, fielding and their mindset.
You are now going to play in the T20 league in England also. How does the experience of playing in different countries and their respective leagues help youIJ
One feels more comfortable playing international cricket after having played in leagues like these. It helps our performance in high-intensity international matches in tournaments like World Cup. So, if other players also get to play a T20 league similar to these ones taking place abroad, it will help improve our performance a lot.
There is a perception that women's cricket has a lot of skill but lacks the power element. But considering the big-hitting prowess shown by you and some others, has the game become more appealing to the fansIJ
We all follow men's cricket and take cues from it also. Even in women's cricket now, it has become clear that a score around 250 is no longer safe unlike some years ago when even a score around 200 was considered defendable. This is the result of these T20 league being played all over the world and the existence of a similar league in India would help a lot.