\"It is such a beautiful country, first of all, and the wickets were amazing. So I said to them, \u2018Sir, mere ko jaana hai, aur bowling karna hai, (I just want to go and bowl there); that\u2019s enough for me\u2019. The thought inside me was, \u2018Just let me bowl in the Australian wickets, I will be fine there\u2019. It was a brilliant exposure for me to go to Australia because as a pacer, who doesn\u2019t want to go there and bowl,\u201d says Yashasri in an exclusive conversation with IANS.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Despite playing only two 50-over games during the multi-format tour, closely studying the routines of the Australian players enabled Yashasri to identify areas for improvement. \u201cFor example, it can be execution, pace, and accuracy, and it differed from match to match. Suppose in one match, I can be better in accuracy; in another match, I could have been better at execution.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"A player\u2019s graph cannot always be this or that way. There are ups and downs for every player. If there are no ups and downs, you are not actually becoming a player then, because a failure only leads to success next. So, my graph has always been this way, and it\u2019s fine.\"<\/p>\r\n\r\n
She is determined to give her best for Hyderabad in the domestic season, although she won\u2019t be present for their campaign in the upcoming Senior Women\u2019s T20 Trophy in Surat. Following her return from Australia, Yashasri took part in her WPL franchise, UP Warriorz off-season camp in Lucknow, where she had a delightful time with team-mates Anjali Sarvani, Gouher Sultana, Vrinda Dinesh, and Shweta Sehrawat.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Yashasri, who graduated from university five months ago, is determined to excel in the upcoming domestic season. \"I always focus on my execution. Like, wherever I bowl, I\u2019m like, okay, I have to hit these areas right - so that has been the same motive. With the domestic season coming up, working on fitness has been a motive too in the off-season camp.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"It is not only practicing; I get to learn every time I come in. I want to play for senior India women\u2019s team and play lots of World Cups. At this point, my goal now is to do really well in domestic matches.\"<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Yashasri\u2019s encounter with cricket happened by chance. As a school-going kid in Hyderabad, she was into basketball and swimming. Additionally, she harbored a desire to represent her state in basketball, but her school cricket team needed a player and approached Yashasri to bowl. From that point, there was no looking back for Yashasri in pursuing cricket.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"I wasn\u2019t really much into cricket at all. Very honestly, I never used to watch cricket on TV. It\u2019s just that when I played for the first time, I really loved it. The feel of batting and bowling was really good. I was like, you have to play cricket now, and then I started playing.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"I was gifted with good height, and immediately got selected for my state. From there, my aim became to play for this team, and play well in that match. Just like that, I just went kept going and going.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The support of Yashasri\u2019s parents has been instrumental in her rise through the ranks. \"My parents were always very supportive. Both my mother and father never told me that no, you don\u2019t play cricket today, and that you have to go to school. They were like, you don\u2019t want to go to school? No worries.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"They were very cooperative in my 10th grade and never forced me to study. They were like, \u2018You play cricket, you leave studies apart. It\u2019s okay; that will happen in time\u2019. Playing cricket is the first priority for you, and they always pushed me in everything for it.\"<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Yashasri got her initial cricket lessons under MV Rao, who first identified her bowling talent, at Bhavan\u2019s Cricket Academy in Secunderabad before moving to be under the tutelage of Mohammed Iqbal at the Iqbal Cricket Academy. As of now, Yashasri trains under Kaneshkk Naidu, the former Hyderabad Ranji Trophy player.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"When Rao sir saw my height and built, he was like, \u2018You become a bowler\u2019 and because he was also a pacer, he taught me through bowling. When I went to Iqbal sir, he gave me coaching on batting. So, I learnt my batting and bowling skills from them.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"But right now, I can tell that my massive change like, from WPL to now, in my pace and the small things in my action is because of Kaneshkk Naidu. He\u2019s the reason why my bowling has changed drastically. He just stressed on like small changes around action, and that really helped a lot. He\u2019s actually very good and I\u2019m happy with him.\"<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Yashasri remembers a time when she played for Hyderabad in the domestic circuit but couldn\u2019t find a way to play at the highest level. Her impressive performance in zonal games earned her a place in India\u2019s squad for the 2023 U19 World Cup in South Africa, especially in light of Hurley Gala\u2019s injury.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Though Yashasri got to play just one game, she came back to Hyderabad as an U19 World Cup winner. \u201cIt was that turning point in my life where I really got that recognition and exposure. It was a tournament held for the first time, and we won it. From there, the whole U19 squad got a massive recognition back at home,\u201d she added.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Yashasri\u2019s U19 World Cup victory quickly led to her selection by UP Warriorz in the WPL, a tournament that has provided new opportunities for women cricketers in India at all levels.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Despite only playing one game over two WPL seasons, Yashasri expresses deep gratitude to UP Warriorz for providing her with an opportunity to grow and showcase her talent.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"It has been so amazing. I am so grateful towards UP Warriors that I\u2019ve got this opportunity into the WPL. The kind of exposure and direction they\u2019re showing me towards playing cricket and their guidance has been very good. WPL is such a big platform where a lot of young cricketers are getting so much exposure.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"We have got to know how much we have to evolve, by looking at them \u2013 the overseas and Indian team players. By looking at their level, we are trying to match them. Domestic cricket and WPL levels have a lot of difference and that I\u2019ve understood only after getting selected here. Plus, it helped my financial status become better, though money is not the primary reason of playing the game.\"<\/p>\r\n\r\n
One of the greatest pleasures Yashasri now experiences in cricket is excelling in her responsibilities without feeling burdened by pressure. \u201cWhen I have done my task well, I\u2019m happy at the cricket, even though I don\u2019t get the results. In terms of mental preparation, I just back myself.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"I\u2019m like, \u2018It\u2019s okay, whatever happens, just play without stress\u2019. I\u2019m not a person who will take so much stress. So, whatever happens, happens \u2013 either bad or good. I just keep telling myself, no worries, bro. Just kill it. Whatever happens, we\u2019ll see.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"I am never that player who\u2019s like overconfident; I\u2019m always under confident. I\u2019m like, \u2018I don\u2019t think so this will happen\u2019. But it\u2019s not like I am demotivating myself. If I\u2019m playing for India right now, I don\u2019t tell that I\u2019m an Indian team player. If other person comes and tells me, I\u2019m like, \u2018Yeah, she\u2019s telling that\u2019. I never do self-dabba (indirectly talking about yourself in a group).\"<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Off the field, Yashasri calls herself as a full of masti (fun) person who enjoys chilling with her friends. Her level of fun is so high outside of the field that she is completely unaware of the events in a cricket game when asked about it.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"I love having fun and all, but I am never bored. I do some time pass, and enjoy myself. I don\u2019t follow sports and even watch cricket matches. If you ask me what match is going on, or suppose who\u2019s batting, I can\u2019t tell what is happening. I just totally switch off. Cricket se sambandh nahi hai mera, bas on-field hai (I don\u2019t have anything to do with cricket off-field, it\u2019s just on-field).\"<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Besides her goals for the domestic season, Yashasri concludes by sharing a long-held desire: to receive personal guidance from NCA fast-bowling coach Troy Cooley in a one-on-one session. \u201cI am very unfortunate. I really want to have one session with him. It\u2019s been two-three years of playing at this level.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"I love having fun and all, but I am never bored. I do some time pass, and enjoy myself. I don\u2019t follow sports and even watch cricket matches. If you ask me what match is going on, or suppose who\u2019s batting, I can\u2019t tell what is happening. I just totally switch off. Cricket se sambandh nahi hai mera, bas on-field hai (I don\u2019t have anything to do with cricket off-field, it\u2019s just on-field).\"<\/p>\r\n\r\n
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