What did Michael Klinger and Lisa Sthalekar share post Gujarat Giants win over UP Warriorz

Following a hard loss in the season opener, Gujarat Giants bounced back with a dominant display against the UP Warriorz. After a few thrilling, high-scoring encounters to start the season, game no.3 was comprehensively one-sided. The Ashleigh Gardner-led Gujarat Giants not only secures their first points but also gives their net run rate a significant boost, propelling them to second place in the standings. Spinner Priya Mishra spun a web around the UP batters as she picked 3 wickets by conceding 25 runs in her 4 overs quota.

Head coach, Michael Klinger, who addressed the questions of the press seems to be mighty impressed by the performance of 20-year-old Mishra.

“We played some really good cricket in our first two games. We played well in our first game as well but had certain learning s from our bowling and fielding, and credit to the team to bring those learnings well into this game. We bowled brilliantly as per our plans.”

Klinger said that the energy and movement on the field were palpable. He added that while it is completely fine for players to make mistakes, the attitude and energy they showed were pleasing from a coach’s perspective.

“Priya has been bowling fantastically well, and she has started playing for India as well. She kept the ball to the wickets on a pitch which was skidding on and keeping a bit low.”

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Klinger said, “We have identified certain areas that need improvement. It’s not about individuals making mistakes but about the overall energy and attitude on the field. Strong ground fielding, accurate catching, and fast throws create the right atmosphere and send a message to the opposition that we are ready for the fight.”

“I’m just asking her (Gardner) to go, enjoy and play some nice cricket and she’s doing more than that. She has had a great start and all we say to our players is to reset. She’s captaining really well, good bowling changes and field positioning and her batting in the first 2 games has been fantastic.”

The head coach said, “Dottin has been dynamic, contributing not only with her batting but also with the ball. The wicket she took in the powerplay was crucial for us. She has experience bowling in the death overs, which is something our starting XI lacks. Kashvi and Sayali were brilliant as well. I couldn’t have asked for more from my bowling and fielding department, as restricting the opposition to 143 in wet conditions was a great effort.”

“Even when we were 2-2, there were a bit of nerves but confidence to chase down 143. We bat very deep and ask our players to play fearless cricket. We will keep engaging our players to keep playing in the same way.”

Klinger appreciated the support from fans in orange in the crowd. He praised Harleen for playing a fantastic innings, highlighting her experience and smart batting. He noted how the crowd erupted every time the team hit a four or a six. With one more game left at the venue, he expressed hope of securing another win before moving to Bangalore.

“A very quick turnover for us and this has been the story when we started playing from our first game, which is fine too. As we want to play 3 games in front of our home crowd. To be honest, we’ve been planning one game at a time- and will plan for our game against the Mumbai Indians. Strong team and we have to be at our best.”

“The matches in WPL have been fantastic. 200 vs 200 and a last ball finish- and even today- it was a low-scoring game. We were 2-2 and the game was open. We required 24 off 30- and the game could’ve gone any way- but Dottin played brilliantly, Harleen played a fantastically smart innings. Luxury for us to have such a kind of player playing at no.5/6 for us,” he added.

In their opening game, the UP Warriorz faced a tough defeat, but the squad’s mentor, Lisa Sthalekar, found positives to take in the next game. Despite the defeat, she acknowledged the strong performances from certain players and remained optimistic about the team’s learning curve.

“If we look at our batting innings, we probably left 30-40 runs out there, losing wickets in clumps. at the top and then also in the middle did really hurt us. But I thought the way that Deepti Sharma batted was really well. She actually played -had it had a pretty good all-round game.”

“Then obviously Alana King and Saima Thakur right at the end to get us up to that 140 mark, gave our bowlers a chance and we started exceptionally well with the ball.”

Sthalekar also praised Mishra for her impressive bowling, noting that she attacked the stumps effectively. She highlighted Mishra’s skill with the wrong-un and googly, stating that Mishra wasn’t afraid and seemed eager to take on the best players in the world. Sthalekar emphasized that this mentality is what is needed from Indian domestic players to be able to compete at the highest level. She acknowledged that Mishra has already played for India, but being young in her career, it was impressive how she stood her ground against some big, tall Aussies and bowled well.

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“We’ve got Chamari Athapaththu on the sideline so she could potentially come in to open. But obviously (Tahlia) McGrath and Grace Harris were a strong middle order, yes, um hopefully we don’t see too many times where they don’t really trouble the scorers. um and hopefully that’s sudden you know of one occurrence, this tournament,” said the mentor.

“No, I’d say maybe stayed a little bit lower (ball). but I think what you’ve seen is from game one to game three -bowlers targeted the stumps a lot more. So, the bowling has become better. I think in the first game, if you were to look at it, there were a lot of deliveries that were missing the stumps, and they went for boundaries. So, I think the bowlers are starting to fight back as we like in tournaments and we’re starting to see that”.

“Oh, it looked like it hit the front pad. There was a little spike and so it was pad first then bat. was it? Oh, from where I was sitting in the dugout, I saw a little spike. So, if I was in the commentary box, I would have said, oh, it’s hit the pad first, then bat. “

Sthalekar mentioned that there are always positives to take from a game, especially their first one. She praised Kranti for a strong debut, noting her extra pace with the ball. She also acknowledged Alana King’s contribution with the bat, although she believed King would be disappointed with her bowling performance.

She highlighted Sharma for showing determination, as despite wickets falling, Sharma stuck to her plan and played well. Sthalekar felt Sharma made the right shot selection, but it was caught by Ash Gardner. Overall, she believed there were many positives to take from the game, including Sophie Eccleston’s wicket-taking ability.

“And the good thing is, sometimes with these tournaments, you’ve got to park this performance and there’s another game in a couple of days’ time. Sometimes giving someone the position means they focus on others more than themselves sometimes.

“So, now Deepti is in a position where she’s got to be thinking about the rest of the team. And she’s come into with a nice run of form with the batch. In T20 cricket, sometimes you need a bit of luck, but she’s batting well. She’s always been bowling really well. I think the leadership has certainly helped to bring the best out of her so far in this edition of the WPL.”

Sthalekar mentioned that the WPL is starting to capture the imagination of the Indian public, with great crowds at different venues, which is wonderful to see. She also pointed out that the BCCI has shown the rest of the world how to commercialize the women’s game and fill big stadiums, and now others are trying to catch up.

“I’ve been around for the IPL, and you see the crowds and the fan following that comes in. We still got to know that the tournament is still in its infancy, but to see people come and watch these wonderful athletes it’s a credit to the BCCI,” she added.

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