From Thursday, when Women\u2019s MPL begins, Maharashtra will join the likes of Delhi, Uttarakhand, and Bengal as states having their women\u2019s T20 franchise tournament, which also attract attendances from scouts of Women\u2019s Premier League (WPL). \u201cFor state associations, and for Maharashtra as well, to have this sort of platform\u2014where I touched upon the fact that there\u2019ll be a lot of eyes from WPL scouts\u2014and also, of course, these sorts of performances can serve as a benchmark for people to get into the state side as well.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cSo, I mean, to have that is great. And more importantly, I always believe that franchise cricket brings a different sort of professionalism into the sport, and for the girls\u2014the state-level girls\u2014to experience that, I\u2019m sure they\u2019ll be well-prepped when they go to the next level.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cSo, yeah, I mean, the owners come with a different set of expectations, and playing with that sort of expectation always helps groom players and develop maturity in them. So, I\u2019m sure a lot of Maharashtra girls are going to benefit from it,\u201d said Smriti in a statement ahead of the commencement of the tournament\u2019s inaugural edition.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Asked about the efforts of the franchise and their grassroots programme Jets Club having programs for creating future women cricketers, Smriti elaborated, \u201cYeah, I mean, to get that at the age of 14\u201315 is great. Of course, we got it a little later, so we had to start developing it by looking at international standards.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cBut the best thing about India at this moment, with women's cricket, is the investment that\u2019s coming in\u2014and the investment they get to groom a player. I mean, very late in our careers, we realized the importance of fitness and all of those things. But I'm sure the club and the initiative are only going to promote or help them understand more about what is actually needed for the next level, and I\u2019m sure they\u2019ll be well-prepped.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cSo, like, clubs and all of these people coming into cricket\u2014I mean, men\u2019s cricket already had that\u2014and for them to now come into women\u2019s cricket is just amazing. I'm sure a lot of girls are going to benefit from it. In terms of the number of girls getting impacted, it's going to be a lot more, and I\u2019m sure within 3\u20134 years we\u2019ll see the changes and differences, even in the Indian side and their performances.\"<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Quizzed on if she had a word with her team-mates on handling pressure of playing league matches which are also televised, Smriti stated, \u201cI wouldn\u2019t take it as pressure. I mean, pressure is there every time you step on the field, so you don\u2019t need to take any added pressure. Whenever you wear a jersey and represent a team, you want to do the best for them\u2014so that pressure is always there. But we\u2019ll take that as motivation rather than pressure.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cFirstly, I\u2019ll, of course, have a nice conversation with them, and the only message which I believe in is: you play cricket to have fun, enjoy, and actually have a really positive environment. Because, like, you win trophies, you don\u2019t win trophies\u2014but what you remember is the journey of that one month or those 20 days when we are going to be part of one squad.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cAnd that's the only thing. I mean, let\u2019s just have a lot of fun together. There\u2019s nothing like\u2014I don\u2019t really believe in something like senior or junior. It\u2019s just more experience and less experience. I mean, when you start playing cricket at the place like I started\u2014of course, I still play whenever I get an opportunity\u2014but you started at Maharashtra, so firstly, to know that Maharashtra is starting a women\u2019s league, I was very happy and excited.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cAnd of course, whenever the opportunity comes to represent a team, as I said, I mean it\u2019s always a new role, an exciting role, so of course, I was really excited and happy. And more importantly, I was very excited for the girls of Maharashtra\u2014I mean, for them to get this platform and to express themselves. So yeah, really looking forward to that.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cAnd that's the only thing. I mean, let\u2019s just have a lot of fun together. There\u2019s nothing like\u2014I don\u2019t really believe in something like senior or junior. It\u2019s just more experience and less experience. I mean, when you start playing cricket at the place like I started\u2014of course, I still play whenever I get an opportunity\u2014but you started at Maharashtra, so firstly, to know that Maharashtra is starting a women\u2019s league, I was very happy and excited.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
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