NAVI MUMBAI: Right at the time of the first Women's Premier League auction in February this year, Vrinda Dinesh was playing one-dayers for the South Zone. Shubha Satheesh, on the other hand, was back home, nursing an injury.
Nine months on, Vrinda has become one of the highest-paid uncapped players in the history of the league, while Satheesh made her Test debut against England at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai — the exact place where the first-ever match of the WPL played amongst heaps of fanfare. “The first time I met her was in 2014, she was already a part of the U19 state side for Karnataka,” Vrinda, who is currently leading Karnataka U23 side in Raipur recalls.
"She was the batter we all used to look up to because she had always been getting runs. We became close friends over the last 3-4 years. When I started playing for the senior side, she was someone who guided me. In January, while playing the senior one-dayers against Baroda, Shubbha and I had a partnership of 150 runs. She scored 76 and I went on to score 91. I think it was one of the highest partnerships both of them have been part of and it was in Mumbai as well.”
This on-field partnership has not stopped just at cricket. "We love hanging out with each other. She is more like an introvert who doesn't talk a lot. But when she gets comfortable with you, she really gets going and doesn't stop cracking jokes. She is lively and bubbly once someone gets to know her. When we chill out it’s about long walks and Churmuri (laughs). She loves eating Churmuri," Vrinda spilled the beans.
For those who have not seen a lot of Shubha in the domestic circuit, it was a pleasant surprise when she kicked off with an on-the-knee cover drive off Lauren Bell to the ropes. What makes that boundary even more special is that it was just the second ball of her international career.
However, Vrinda has seen it over the years and she was not surprised by that boundary or the one the left-hander smashed against Sophie Ecclestone while facing her for the first time. "This aggressive approach, I have always seen in Shubha. She has always been confident. I have seen her hit first-ball fours so many times. I used to ask her all the time, ‘how are you doing this?’. That confidence has always been there with her. We knew this day was coming but knowing what she has been through, I think she is going to enjoy this a little bit more.
"She is not the one for milestones (Shubha got out to Ecclestone after a well-made 69), I think she must have enjoyed just being there and playing for India because it has been a big dream of hers. We have always shared that dream. I am just happy that it has come true for her today," she said. One could hear that proud feeling about her friend in Vrinda's voice.
It's not just Vrinda. Earlier, on day one of the Test, the entire Karnataka U23 team was thrilled when they found out their friend had made a Test debut. "The Karnataka U-23 team, we were having breakfast together half an hour before the toss. We all started searching on Instagram and everywhere to find videos if she got the debut cap. All of us were checking if anyone had put any details about the debutants. As soon as we realised she was making a debut, we were all sitting in front of the TV and waiting for her to come on the screen. Everyone is just so delighted for her," Vrinda added.
Even after one of the best days on the cricket field for her, Shubha didn't forget to give her best wishes to the state team. "Karnataka is doing really well and Vrinda is leading the team in the right direction. I would like to wish them all the best," Shubha told the media after the day's play.
These two players, who have toiled hard in the domestic circuit without any fanfare, have taken the women's cricket world by storm in the last few days. "There is no dearth of talent in the Indian domestic women’s circuit," tweeted India all-rounder Shikha Pandey while Shubha was batting. Vrinda and Shubha are proof of it. And if this was any indication of what is to come, India are just about to unearth a goldmine of talent. The future does look bright on the horizon.
