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The India batter looks back at her WPL experience, and talks about how she has been preparing for the upcoming busy season and the tour to Bangladesh

S Sudarshanan08-Jul-2023India Women have had a busy couple of years after the pandemic-enforced hiatus ended – since the start of 2021, they have played 44 T20Is, a couple of Tests, and 29 ODIs, culminating in the first ever Women’s Premier League. Now after a short break, India are about to kick off another busy season with a white-ball tour to Bangladesh. Later, they will play two Tests against Australia and England in December and January at home. They began preparations with an intense month-long camp at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru with a focus on fitness. Jemimah Rodrigues, who is part of the camp, took time off to talk.It’s been over three months since the WPL ended. What have you been up to?
I’d taken a break after the WPL because we had a very long season – for two years we were on the road and playing matches. Even if they were not internationals, there were domestic games, practice and stuff. That was a good break after the T20 World Cup, WPL and everything. I went for a vacation with the family, got back, and had a month at home.Related

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Then I worked on my fitness for a couple of weeks to get my fitness levels back up. After that, [it’s been] cricket practice and training and then the one-month camp in Bengaluru.Tell us more about the pre-season camp. What was it like?
We were having a camp after a very long time. The main purpose of the camp was to do our fitness and our fielding, because that is one area we as a team know we need to work on. We had a few benchmarks that were set. We had a test on the first two-three days of the camp, based on which players were divided into groups. Whoever passed the benchmark was in the skills-and-fitness group and whoever didn’t would spend the first two weeks doing only fitness. What was the routine like there?
We used to have alternate days of skill work and fitness work. One day would be a fitness day and one day would be a skill day, so that we could give equal importance to both. Such an arrangement helped, because otherwise what would happen is, if you tried to do both you cannot push a lot.Say, you are doing skills. You’ll think, “I have to gym in the evening so I’ll take it a little easy.” Or if I have gym in the morning, I’ll say I’ll do lighter weights in the gym so that I can give more in skills. They didn’t want that to happen and had one day where we could go all-out in skills and one day we could go all-out in training and that is how the workload is balanced equally. A lot of thought was put behind it.VVS [Laxman, NCA director of cricket] sir had a meeting with us and said that the coaches and staff began preparations for this camp a month before we were to arrive. They watched videos of every bowler and every batter. The physios and trainers had meetings and they discussed how to improve and take the level of women’s cricket up.”I’ve grown up loving batting. I have to bat a lot. I don’t want to ever change that”•Getty ImagesThe Athlete Monitoring System (AMS) and Injury Prevention (IP) were implemented in the camp. What effects did they have on players?
We in the Indian team have been doing it for a year now and we are very used to it. AMS has a few questions: How many hours have you slept? How sore is your body? Are you having your periods? Such information can be used to plan our day better. If you are a bit sore, they can keep your training a little less [intense] depending on the athlete. This helps the athlete be specific with what they are training for and can get the best results.IP tests were held every morning to check if a specific muscle is tight, or how the player is feeling on the day. They used to ask us a few questions and then used to speak to the trainer and coaches to decide how to manage the workload. It’s shown good results.Let’s talk specifically about you. You are one of the more agile players around. Does fitness have an effect on one’s batting?
Definitely, it does! It is also a mindset thing.When you know you have put in the hours and the effort, you feel stronger mentally too. You know you can bat for long hours. T20 is also really intense; you get more tired in T20 than a one-day game, because it is intense and quick.Usually I field from deep midwicket [at one end] to deep midwicket [at the other] and have to run for all 20 overs because that is my specialised position. That position is my place. Sometimes it is a lot of running and a lot of balls come to me. But when I know I have prepared well in the area of my fitness too, that helps me feel even better. I know I can get to the ball wherever it is because my fitness is helping me reach there and cover that much distance. Sometimes it may look too far [on TV] but I know it is not too far because I have covered that distance a lot of times when I am training.You definitely feel stronger, and you start seeing changes in your body. And when you go out to bat, you know the difference between what it was before and what it is after you work on your strength. The ball travels more when you work on strength – you see the ball clear the ropes, you hit the ball harder. The technique and all stay the same but it takes things to a whole new level.Speaking of hitting the ball hard, do you practice range-hitting in the nets?
Yes, I do. I need to work a lot more on my power-hitting game because it’s not natural to me; I am more of a timer. My range-hitting drills are about adding power-hitting to my timing. I have specific sessions depending on what I am working on a given day.In the WPL, did players from different countries train on non-skill aspects differently?
Yes. Some overseas players give more importance to fitness than skills. They might even miss a skill session, but they will not miss a fitness session. In India, we focus more on our skills. Everyone is right in their own way, and we don’t necessarily have to be like someone else. As long as we understand what our standards are, the benchmarks we have set, and the standards that are required to give the best to our team, we work towards it.”In the WPL, to see the commitment from the likes of Meg Lanning was really inspiring”•AFP via Getty ImagesI’ve grown up loving batting. I have to bat a lot. That’s me. I don’t want to ever change that. Maybe someone else might not want to bat so much. For them, it is about feeling good in the nets and coming out. That differs from person to person even in fitness aspects, but it is important to realise what standard you need to be the best in India, or in the world, and to defeat the best in the world.You have played in franchise competitions around the world, the WBBL and the Hundred. You’re familiar with players from different countries coming together. But for many Indian players, it must have been a first in the WPL. What were conversations like about the WPL between Indian players?
About 80% of our conversations were about how the WPL was, and about players in different teams. You always thought a certain person would be a certain way. But when you are part of the same team, they are completely different. We have obviously seen them on the ground [as being] very aggressive, say, but when you get to know them in person, they are very different, nice and genuine people. So many conversations like that…We definitely spoke about the fitness aspect – we have fit players in India, but it is just about what we can learn from one another. We also learn from people setting standards in India. Harry [Harmanpreet Kaur, India captain] is one of the fittest persons I have seen – very agile, very fit, has good stamina, speed. I have shared the dressing room with her and know her ways, but imagine a domestic player, like Saika Ishaque, being around the likes of her, Nat Sciver-Brunt and others. There is always so much to learn. In that way, we had conversations about what we can learn and do better.You have been around Harmanpreet, Smriti Mandhana and players of that calibre in the India set-up for years now. During the WPL, whose work ethics did you admire?
Because I spent time with the Delhi [Capitals] team, I’d say Meg Lanning. She is someone I really look up to. I have seen her so much in person – the way she carries the team, and her consistency with the bat and also her fitness. Since we had night games during WPL, it was 1am by the time we used to get back to the hotel from the ground on match days. On such days, my mind was very active though the body was exhausted, and I wouldn’t sleep until 3am or 4am.Once I was chatting with Meg and she said she also couldn’t sleep till about 6am. But next morning I went for breakfast and learnt from one of our coaches that Meg was at the gym at 8:30am! She must have slept for just two hours. Another morning, I spotted her running at Oval Maidan with her headphones on at 6:30am! To see her that committed is very inspiring.

A Test specialist has very few chances of becoming as good as he can be in Bangladesh

Mohammad Isam22-Apr-2021After ten Test centuries, Mominul Haque has finally got his first on foreign soil – in the 18th game he has played away from home. That lopsided home-away record has been a cause for concern, but if you take a closer look at his record, something interesting pops up: Haque doesn’t get to play Test matches nearly as frequently as a long-form specialist like him must, but as a one-format man and now the team’s captain, he is usually expected to perform like a world-beater.ESPNcricinfo runs a global workload survey to look at cricketers’ workloads in a year. A similar survey on which cricketers have had the longest gaps between international matches might place Haque around the top of the list.Bangladesh don’t play as many Tests as the top teams. The Pallekele Test, where Haque made 127, was after a gap of two months, since the home series against West Indies. During this period, the likes of Tamim Iqbal, Mushfiqur Rahim, Liton Das and Najmul Hossain Shanto played white-ball matches in New Zealand. Earlier, when Bangladesh returned to playing after the pandemic, Haque’s wait was the longest among the seniors: there were 347 days between the one-off Test against Zimbabwe in February 2020 and the first Test against West Indies in February 2021.

“I think his demenour lends him to be a very organised Test batsman. He is meticulous in his preparation. He works really hard. He knows what his strengths and weaknesses are”Russell Domingo on Mominul Haque

These are just two examples of the frustrating lack of cricket in his eight-year long career – he is only playing his 43rd Test since his debut in March 2013.In Bangladesh, it is accepted wisdom that players improve when they play international cricket. And dropping off from the top level could be the death knell for a cricketer’s career. This is mainly because of the yawning gap between international cricket and domestic cricket in the country. Bangladesh also doesn’t have a strong ‘A’ system. The difference in intensity is huge, which is why comeback stories are a rarity. Being a format specialist, especially if that format is the longest one, makes things worse.Related

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National coach Russell Domingo agrees that it is difficult for players like Haque, or Mahmudullah, who is now considered a white-ball specialist, to find the right intensity in competition and training sessions when they are not with the Bangladesh team.”It is a very tough one. It is something that I have been speaking to [Mahmud] quite a bit, about making sure we get some systems in place for guys when they are not with the national side. Guys like Soumya [Sarkar] and Mahmudullah, who is looking after them now? What are they doing? What facilities is available?”It is very difficult, and it is something that needs to be looked at, and provided for the players that aren’t part of various teams at certain stages. It is a challenge for us, something that we are aware of, and something that we hope to get a move on (with) in the future.”Russell Domingo and Mominul Haque – working towards a common end•AFP via Getty ImagesHaque has spent roughly two-third of his international career away from the senior set-up. He has played 77 [28 ODIs and six T20Is] out of Bangladesh’s 234 matches since his Test debut, having missed only four Tests along the way – two in 2017 when he was dropped during Chandika Hathurusingha’s tenure as coach, and two that he missed because of injuries. His longest gap between Tests has been 457 days from the South Africa series in 2015 to the England series in 2016. Bangladesh played 27 white-ball matches in between, while Haque played 14 first-class matches for Bangladesh A, Chittagong Division and East Zone.He was out of form for almost a year before he was dropped for the Dhaka Test against Australia in 2017. Four months later, he became the first Bangladesh batter to score a hundred in each innings of a Test match.Still, the gaps never went away. After that series, he waited five months for his next Test, in the West Indies. He had a six-month wait from February to September in 2019, and then came another yearlong break because of the pandemic.Meanwhile, Haque hasn’t toured Australia or England, and hasn’t played India or South Africa much either. He has been tested in New Zealand and West Indies, but again, there isn’t enough evidence to poke holes in his technique or temperament.If anything, Domingo believes Haque is a one-of-a-kind cricketer, who works relentlessly on his game to improve even as the rest of the field gathers more experience than him. “I think Mominul understands his game really well. He is a very calm person,” Domingo said. “I think his demenour lends him to be a very organised Test batsman. He is meticulous in his preparation. He works really hard. He knows what his strengths and weaknesses are.”I think he is a fantastic Test batsman. He is trying his best to lead the side. He got a hundred against the West Indies, and followed up with a hundred here again. I think he has 11 Test hundreds now, which is a fantastic achievement.”All said, Haque has played the most Tests – joint with Rahim – since his debut, and has scored the most runs for his team, as well as the most hundreds, and once scored 11 Test fifties in a row. He is yet to prove himself as a leader, and the doubts about his abilities as a top-notch Test batsman might not go away just yet, but he is getting there, leading by example.

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O empate do Corinthians em 1 a 1 com o Racing-URU, no Estádio Centenário, pela estreia na fase de grupos da Copa Sul-Americana, deixou um “sabor amargo” nos jogadores da equipe.

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Camisa 10 do Timão, Rodrigo Garro elogiou a atuação da equipe no Uruguai, que na visão do meia merecia os três pontos, mas lamentou o gol sofrido nos minutos finais após desatenção do sistema defensivo do time.

Em noite pouco inspirada da equipe comandada por António Oliveira, Garro foi um dos raros destaques em campo. Foi do meia a assistência para Yuri Alberto, que abriu o marcador de cabeça, aos 25 minutos do segundo tempo.

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Com um ponto conquistado, o Corinthians ocupa a segunda colocação do Grupo F. O Argentinos Juniors, que venceu na estreia, lidera a chave com três pontos. O Timão volta a campo pela Copa Sul-Americana na próxima terça-feira (9), quando encara o Nacional-URU, na Neo Química Arena.

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Manchester United are now on red alert in the race to sign a Real Madrid star ahead of Manchester City in a shock £69m deal next year.

Amorim "angry" at "frustrating" West Ham draw

Like the rest of Old Trafford, Ruben Amorim was left angered by Man United’s 1-1 draw against West Ham. The Red Devils were in control for the large part and deservedly got their opener through unlikely goalscorer Diogo Dalot in the second-half, but that’s when things started going wrong.

With seven minutes remaining, the visitors sent a timely reminder of United’s struggles courtesy of Soungoutou Magassa, who scored his first Premier League goal to snatch a point for West Ham.

Amorim, left frustrated at full-time, told reporters: “Yeah, it’s frustrating, it’s angry. That’s it.”

The former Sporting CP manager also pinpointed where things went wrong, saying: “Yeah, but there are second halves that we lose control of the game.

“Today, I think it was not that case. Maybe after the first goal, we lost some second balls and Matheus [Cunha] won one or two second balls there and made it a transition.

“We try to defend all the time far from the goal because we knew it. They tried to make a cross, win a corner. Like it happened, long ball, they win a second ball against three guys of us in the defence. So, we need to be better in the second half.”

Any assumption that United have turned a corner under Amorim is quickly evaporating and the Old Trafford boss desperately needs further reinforcements in 2026.

Midfield stars such as Conor Gallagher and Elliot Anderson have already been mooted, but United could still set their focus on welcoming Rodrygo from Real Madrid. The Brazilian is attracting plenty of interest and could yet swap the Bernabeu for the Premier League.

Man Utd on red alert in Rodrygo race

According to reports in Spain, Man United are now on red alert in the race to sign Rodrygo next year and could land the talented winger ahead of rivals Man City, as well as a number of other Premier League sides.

The Brazilian has struggled for game time under Xabi Alonso – starting just three La Liga games all season – and looks destined to leave Real Madrid next year.

Sparking a flurry of interest, Madrid reportedly value their winger at around €80m (£69m). Whether INEOS and others deem that fee reachable for a player who’s yet to impress Alonso remains to be seen, however.

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At his best, Rodrygo played a key part in Madrid’s success in the Champions League and in La Liga. Now, he’s been cast aside to hand United the opportunity to land arguably their best signing yet under Amorim.

Dubbed “spectacular” by former Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti in 2023, Rodrygo is still just 24 years old and is full of potential – even if he’s forced to realise it with a move to Old Trafford in 2026.

Amorim's £150k-p/w star just had his worst game for Man Utd vs West Ham

When approaching a transfer window, whether it is in the summer or January, Glasgow Rangers should be looking to do one of two things with their signings.

They should be making signings with a view to improving the team in the short-term, as they should always be competing for trophies every season.

As well as those impact signings, the Gers should also be looking for young players who have the potential for big development, with a view to selling them on for a substantial profit in the future, to carry their player trading model.

In the summer transfer window just gone, Kevin Thelwell led the recruitment drive and it is hard to see many signings that fall into either of those categories at the moment.

In terms of short-term impact, Rangers are currently fifth in the Scottish Premiership after finishing second last season, which shows that they have regressed on the pitch.

Meanwhile, there are not too many players who were signed in the summer who currently look like they will go on to be sold for a profit in the future.

Rangers summer signings who are most likely to be sold for a profit

Thelwell, who was moved on from his position on Monday, swooped to bring in seven players on permanent deals to Ibrox in the summer, along with the pre-agreed permanent deals for Oscar Cortes and Lyall Cameron that were agreed before he joined in April.

Rangers have a fairly decent record of selling players for big money in recent years. Calvin Bassey joined Ajax for £19.6m, Joe Aribo joined Southampton for £6m, and Nathan Patterson signed for Everton for £11.5m in 2022, whilst Hamza Igamane was sold to Lille for £10.4m this year.

Excluding Cortes and Cameron, as they were not sanctioned by Thelwell, it would be bold to confidently predict that any of the seven permanent summer signings will be sold for profit.

Djeidi Gassama feels like the most likely, at this moment in time, because he was signed from Sheffield Wednesday for £2.2m and has produced six goals and two assists in all competitions, per Transfermarkt. No other summer signing has scored more than twice.

Because none of the others have provided much of an attacking threat, Emmanuel Fernandez, despite playing just four matches, may rank second. Signed for £3.5m, he has scored two goals in four matches and won 88% of his aerial duels in two league outings, per Sofascore.

As you can see in the table above, Joe Rothwell and Bojan Miovski, who both started on the bench against Livingston last weekend, rank in the bottom two because they have been bit-part players at the ages of 30 and 26, which does not suggest that they are likely to kick on and be sold for a big profit.

Oliver Antman, with three goal contributions, and Thelo Aasgaard, with two goal contributions, rank just ahead of those two because they are 24 and 23, respectively, and still have time to improve.

Youssef Chermiti ranks in fifth because he has plenty of time to develop, at 21, but was signed for a whopping fee of £8m and has only produced one goal in 13 matches as a striker, per Transfermarkt, which makes it seem unlikely, on current evidence, that they will recoup that outlay.

Meanwhile, there is a player in the current Rangers squad, signed before Thelwell arrived, who does look likely to be sold on for a substantial profit, and potentially for even more than the likes of Joe Aribo and Hamza Igamane.

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Nicolas Raskin was signed by former Gers boss Michael Beale under the previous ownership at Ibrox, whilst they were between sporting directors, in January 2023 for a reported fee of roughly £1.5m from Standard Liege.

Why Rangers could sell Nicolas Raskin for a profit

Given that the Belgian midfielder was signed for a fairly small sum of money, certainly in comparison to a player like Chermiti, it will be ‘easier’ for Rangers to bank a profit on him if they ever decide to cash in.

Earlier this month, it was reported that Leeds and Tottenham are two of a number of clubs across the Premier League and Europe that are eyeing up a possible move for Raskin, but that the Gers want a “big fee” for their star.

This shows that there are teams keen on snapping the Belgium international up from Ibrox in the winter window, which means that Rangers could, if they wanted to, cash in on him to fund new signings for Danny Rohl, not to say that is what they should do.

TEAMtalk reported earlier this month that it would take a fee of £18m to £20m to tempt the Gers to sell Raskin, which would be a substantial profit on the £1.5m they signed him for almost three years ago.

Selling him for a fee in that region would mean that Rangers would get more money for him than they did for Igamane, Patterson, and Aribo, as aforementioned, although it would take a fee of £20m for him to take Bassey’s crown as the most expensive sale in the club’s history.

As you can see in the table above, Raskin’s performances as a box-to-box midfielder in the Premiership have been exceptional since the start of last season, as he has provided quality in the final third and defensive strength out of possession.

The 24-year-old maestro, once praised as “unbelievable” by ex-Gers striker Kris Boyd, has proven that he can provide consistent performances for the club, which is something the batch of summer signings this year have failed to do thus far.

That is why Raskin may end up being sold for a huge fee, as possibly the most or second-most expensive sale in the club’s history, amid interest from several teams in January, whilst it is hard to say if any of Thelwell’s signings will go on to be sold for a profit.

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Whilst Rangers supporters may not want to see the Belgian move on from the club in January, his story and the fact that there is the possibility that he is sold for huge money is an example that Thelwell’s replacement should look to follow.

Newcastle United are now reportedly ready to launch their offer to sign Palmeiras midfielder Allan Elias, who has a release clause worth as much as £88m.

Newcastle are in desperate need of an attacking spark not named Nick Woltemade. The German simply cannot do it on his own and needs fellow big-money signing Anthony Elanga to finally find some form.

Despite being one of Newcastle’s most-expensive ever signings, the former Nottingham Forest star is yet to score in the 17 games that he’s played for the Magpies. As a result, he’s gradually lost his place to Jacob Murphy as Eddie Howe looks to find a solution to his side’s attacking problems.

Having his say on his recent struggles and subsequent place on Newcastle’s bench, Elanga chose to take an optimistic approach whilst on international duty with Sweden.

It would undoubtedly provide the Magpies with a major boost if Elanga found form after the international break. Only Leeds, Nottingham Forest and Wolverhampton Wanderers have scored fewer Premier League goals than Newcastle’s 11 so far this season and something must change.

With the January transfer window less than two months away, new sporting director Ross Wilson has already set his sights on much-needed reinforcements to get Howe’s side firing once more.

Newcastle ready to launch Allan Elias move

According to reports in Brazil, as relayed by Sport Witness, Newcastle are now ready to launch their move to sign Allan from Palmeiras. The 21-year-old attacking midfielder has impressed the Magpies as well as Everton and Brighton & Hove Albion, and may now be on his way to the Premier League in 2026.

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The deal may not come cheap, however. Palmeiras are in a strong negotiating position thanks to the Brazilian’s €100m (£88m) release clause and could demand that in full to sell their young talent.

That being said, it is believed that Newcastle are extremely keen and want to strike an ‘immediate’ deal.

Praised by South American expert Nathan Joyes for his “impressive” cameos at the Club World Cup last summer, Allan has since kicked on in Brazil. The attacking midfielder has scored twice and assisted another eight goals in the current campaign, with one of those assists coming at the Club World Cup against Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami side.

Several clubs have benefited from investing in South American talents in the Premier League and now Newcastle could be next in line to welcome a rising star.

One of "Newcastle's best signings" under Howe is now on borrowed time