India's Vaishnavi Sharma in action during second T20I vs Sri Lanka in Visakhapatnam. (PHOTO: BCCI)
It was something of a surprise when Vaishnavi Sharma – widely touted as one of the most promising name in the mega auction pool for WPL – found no takers from the five franchises. The young left-arm spinner from Madhya Pradesh, who just turned 20 last week, was India’s leading wicket-taker at the U19 World Cup earlier this year, including a memorable 5/5 against Sri Lanka where she also registered a hat-trick. In the Senior Women’s T20 Trophy she was again at the top of wicket-taking charts with 21 from 9 innings. While a WPL bid has proved elusive for now, head coach Amol Muzumdar said on Thursday that the promising spinner has been rewarded with an international debut against Sri Lanka based on the consistency of her domestic exploits.
“I think she responded really well,” Muzumdar said in Thiruvananthapuram ahead of the third T20I. “Credit to her that she comes from under-19. And I would like to stress that domestic performance was rewarded by the selectors. So real credit to them.”
Vaishnavi impressed with her economical bowling in the first match in Visakhapatnam though she was unlucky not to pick up a wicket. In the second match, after being targetted in her first over, she bounced back impressively to pick up two wickets. “I think in the last two games what we have seen, it seems very promising. The control that she has shown, not just on her skills but also her mental control out there. She’s calm, collective,” Muzumdar added.
Muzumdar also confirmed that Deepti Sharma is fit and available after missing the second match due to illness. Jemimah Rodrigues, however, missed the pre-match training due to “little bit of an issue but I think she’s fine. She’s just resting today.” The decision to leave Renuka Singh Thakur in the first two matches, however, is tactical. “We were looking at a different combination. Also trying out a few things and she’s an integral part of this team as you’ve known in the last two years,” he said of the pacer.
Playing today: India vs Sri Lanka, 3rd T20I from 7 pm onwards, live on Star Sports and JioHotstar