India U-19 Women's head coach: We need to allow the girls to grow as players

India U-19 women beat England U-19 women by seven wickets and scripted history on January 29, 2023. (Image: Twitter/NooshinKhadeer)

Nooshin Al Khadeer was a member of the Indian women's cricket team, led by Mithali Raj, that reached the finals of the ODI World Cup in 2005 but could not go across the line in Centurion. Eighteen years later, the former off-spinner found her redemption, coincidentally in South Africa again, as she coached the U-19 women's team to the world title in Potchefstroom this year.

Khadeer and Raj (Source: Twitter/NooshinKhadeer)

India U-19 women beat England U-19 women by seven wickets and scripted history. The runners-up finish back in the day had an impact on a lot of young cricketers. And now, the maiden ICC title will be a boost for women's cricket on the backdrop of an inaugural women's IPL scheduled in March.

In a chat with Moneycontrol, Al Khadeer highlighted how she prepared the team, with two senior cricketers — Shafali Verma and Richa Ghosh — in the side, for the mega event and what the World Cup victory means for women's cricket.

How do you feel after winning the World Cup?

Fantastic. We have been waiting for it for a long time. Now it has happened at the U-19 level, which clearly shows the future of India. Some of these players will come into the senior squad; it shows the kind of talent that India has developed.

Life came full circle for you in South Africa. How did you motivate your team?

I guess things have changed a lot in 18 years. From wickets to the way the game is played today. I don't want to compare the skill sets, but as a unit we had a few strategies for the opponents. It worked out quite well. Our focus was the World Cup, and we strived for that. And everything panned out the way we wanted.

Captain Shafali Verma and wicketkeeper Richa Ghosh are part of the senior side, and due to their age, they were part of this tournament too. How did you handle the situation?

Shafali and Richa broke into the Indian senior squad at an early age. The sense of responsibility is different for them as they have been rubbing shoulders with players with 50+ ODIs and T20Is under their belt. Kids below 19 tend to lose out on the child-like behaviour in such situations. It would have been different had they played in their age groups. We thought it was the right time for them to explore and get back that kind of behaviour when there is no pressure. It is essential to cultivate the habit and tell them how well they have done for the seniors and how they can relax and perform here at the U-19 level.

We ensured the seniors got along with the juniors. The younger lot had seen them on TV, so there were fan moments. But the response from both sides has been good. It took them a couple of days to get into the mould, and we looked as a unit. I want to credit both sides.

Do you feel all these girls, like Shweta Sehrawat and Titas Sadhu, are ready for the senior team?

We should not hurry up with the younger players for the senior level. They still need to develop their skills. They performed well at the U-19 level, but we have to groom them, and there is a process. It will be too harsh on us to put them on a platform when they are not ready. In a couple of years, you can give them an opportunity. You might see Titas, Shweta or Archana Devi coming into the senior side, but before that, they need game time. At present, they need to enjoy the hard work which brought the trophy. We need to allow them to grow as players. This U-19 World Cup win will provide a lot of confidence in the future and make them understand that they can aim for India A and the senior team.

What are your thoughts on the Women's Premier League?

All this while, we thought only the senior domestic players would get to learn from the overseas players. But it is an opportunity for every player to understand the game better. It is going to help them tactically plus when you are in an environment of learning, it is going to help the players come up. It is a good exposure for them to learn things and rub shoulders with senior players of different states and countries.