Hello, I'm Alison Mitchell and welcome to the penultimate Stumped of 2021. A year in
which cricket started to get back to normal after the Covid-19 pandemic, the inaugural
Hundred competition was launched, Australia won the men's T20 World Cup, and Pakistan's
men beat India in a World Cup match for the first time ever. Now throughout the year,
we've tried to keep you entertained and informed with our weekly mix of news, features and
debate from the quirky world of cricket. And so, this week, we're going to take the chance
to look back on some of our highlights from the show this year. I think it's only right
that we start with one of the brightest stars of India women's cricket. Jemimah Rodrigues
is an Indian all-rounder and has dominated with the bat in franchise cricket, where she
hit the highest individual score in The Hundred, with an unbeaten 92 for the Northern Superchargers.
She was also part of the India squad who were beaten by Australia in that record breaking
2020 T20 World Cup final. She joined us on Stumped in May to tell us about her experience
of playing in front of over 85,000 fans at the MCG.
We are practising on the main ground, so our nets were outside, but we came inside to do
some fielding and at the time, our coach was Woorkeri Raman, so he came up. We were in
a huddle, and he spoke to us. He said: "You know, if I could ever want to be in a historic
moment, it will be tomorrow playing at the MCG in front of 90,000 people. You know, whatever's
going to happen tomorrow, I just want all of us to enjoy and cherish this moment,
because maybe you'll never get this moment ever again to kind of relive it."
That was how we had the mindset to go in, and I remember just walking in. We were fielding
first, and my parents had come they travelled all the way you know, from India to watch
and the stadium was fully packed, and it was very difficult for me. I was fielding
at deep mid-wicket and it was very difficult for me to sight the ball, because you're not
used to playing in front of so much of a crowd. The whole stadium was packed, but after that
we just got used to that. And I remember, before the match would start, I looked around
if I could see my dad and my mum - I normally do that. Then I would I worry how would I
see them in front of so much of a crowd. But then I looked back and I saw this small window
and there were four people doing like that. And then I saw my mum and dad there. When
I looked back over there, and I saw them there, you know, I knew that no matter what happens
today, I mean, these guys are always going to be right behind me, backing me with their
support. It wasn't easy time for me or actually, even for my teammates. After the game we were
all heartbroken, we're trying to play it cool like, okay, nothing has happened because we
are very young side. And our seniors also you know, like Smriti's 24. And she had to
like, you know maintain that composure. But then we could make, like, everyone's trying
to play it cool. But inside everyone's heart is broken. But that day we decided, you know,
we're gonna learn from this and this team, itself has so much promise that the day is
not far away that's gonna win a World Cup for India and make India proud. I'm glad you
mentioned your dad, because I've read you describe him as your hero before. Tell us
a little bit more about the impact that your dad has had personally on your cricket career?
Yeah, I mean, it's not just my dad, actually, I would even say my mum because she'll
feel bad if she's watching this video. Because you always play a vital
role . Yeah, everyone behind the scenes. So mum shout out to you also. So I started off
as I said, a very young age and went to go for practices, being a girl just going and practising.
At that time in India, a girl playing cricket was not very, you know, accepted,
I would say. So, I had gone with my brother to one Academy, and then they said: "No, I'm
sorry, she's too small, and she's a girl so we won't be able to take her. So, I felt very
bad at that moment. And my dad was there and my dad was like: "Don't worry, Jem. You know,
we work harder, we fight it out." So it was from that time, you know where my dad
has been my coach and coaching my brothers. And the best thing about my dad being my coach
is, even at that time, he never stopped me from playing cricket being a girl. Now times
are different. You know, some people won't be able to relate to this, but when I started,
it was very different. And even relatives came home, and they were like: "I think you
all have lost it. How can you allow your girl to play cricket?" But they never stopped us
from doing cricket. So, after that my dad has worked a lot on me. Sometimes it was quite
annoying because I couldn't enjoy my holidays and picnics and everything with the family.
I had to go and practice cricket at Shivaji Park or Azad Maidan and all that so yeah,
it's been that but if it wasn't for his persistency and the way he was determined that okay, it
was his dream to play cricket, but he could never play because his parents never supported
him. But he had like, No, nothing. I'm gonna make sure my children play, but he expected
his two sons to play, but I became the one who actually ended up paying for it.
So yeah, I think you made the India under-19s when
you were only 13? I think you start playing for India when were 16. So were you ready
for the kind of pressures that playing for India bring on? Or would you prefer perhaps
making a debut a little later? How ready were you that early?
Honestly, I felt that I should have played for India two years before. No, the thing
was that I had performed in the domestic games in almost every game, except the three most
important games, which are the two challenges games, which is like India A, India, B, India C.
From there, you get selected for the India team. So in those two games, I got out for
zero and one, so I didn't do well. I was averaging in under-19s, I was averaging 376. But then
I heard that the director said that "she's not scoring against the big teams, so what's
the use?" I was very frustrated, and annoyed with me that, okay, I've worked so hard, I've
scored so much. But when it mattered the most, I didn't. So that actually changed a lot,
I worked harder, developed new shots, then again, the next season came, and I had a double century
in a 50-over game, and also 1013 runs in 11 games. And you know, everything was said then
the challengers came, long story short. So, there's a lot of pressure because you
know, the past was playing on my mind, but then just overcome that and be the third highest
run scorer even in the challengers. And then that's how I made my selection for India. So, I would
say everything fell at the right time. I mean, if I would have got selected two years earlier,
where I thought it was a perfect timing for me, I don't think I would have made such an
impact as two years later, when I had to work harder to develop my game. And you know, I
learned so much more in those two years. I think God's timing is perfect, and it just
fell in the right place. Tell us a little bit about your social media
because you're a bit of a dab hand in front of the microphone aren't you and you've interviewed
a lot of personalities on your own social media channel. Who have been some of the favourites?
A few of my favourites; first will definitely be Rohit Sharma because I love his batting.
I interviewed AB de Villiers and Faf du Plessis, so yeah, they will be a few of my favourites.
And then there was my uncle, so yeah, I mean that there are many but it's always fun, you
know, catching up with these guys. I'm talking about continuing this as my career, I think.
I'm just 20, so I'll leave that for later. Yes, I don't think you need to be thinking
about post-cricket just yet. You've got an awful lot of cricket in front of you first.
Well, that was India around at Jemimah Rodrigues and of course we'll keep you up to date with
how the India women's team get on in 2022, including the ODI World Cup in New Zealand.
Speaking of World Cups, it was the Australian men who were victorious in the T20 World Cup
in the UAE this year in November. But it was the Indian men who hit the headlines after
losing their first two matches. Well, here on Stumped, Charu Sharma, Jim Maxwell and
I awarded our own metaphorical T20 World Cup awards to look back on the tournament. I started
by asking Charu what his biggest surprise was.
The fact that this mighty Indian team did not take a single Pakistani wicket was just
a massive surprise. I mean, the whole country just kind of melted right there.
Nobody could get up after that, because it's one thing to lose to Pakistan, which never
happened in an ICC World Cup event. And then of course, you might have lost narrowly or
might have taken a few wickets, but not to take a single wicket was just an enormous
slap in the face and a huge surprise. I could have said that one, but I thought I'd leave
that one to you. Thank you. Jim? Well, it's a package here of surprise and disappointment.
I mean, India, huge surprise about their inordinary performance at the start and they didn't recover
really. By the time they started winning, it was too late. So, I don't know whether
they were ego blown or what in that Indian team, but their supporters must have been
asking a lot of questions. The other surprise, sorry, just quietly, for a country that's
barely got any cricket at all, Namibia's performance in just playing at the World Cup was just
outstanding, just unbelievable.
What about best player of the tournament? I mean, there were obviously leading wicket
takers, leading run scorers, a player of the tournament in David Warner as well. So, who
would your picks be? Jim, lets first start with you. Oh, well, I'm gonna have a bit of
a green and gold eye here, but the performances of Warner and Zampa, in particular, but in
crunch games, Josh Hazlewood is really making a point in the last couple of years. Remember,
this guy was discarded as a white-ball cricketer, and 3-16 in the final made a huge difference,
particularly when his mate at the other end was 0-60 - Mitchell Starc - so Hazlewood was
one of my favourite cricketers, because of what he very quietly and demonstrably contributes to that team.
Well, I've got to say that, you know, normally we talk about Pakistan
in terms of being a mercurial team - which side of the bed did they get up from and so
on and so forth - but for them to be held together by I suppose the leadership, first,
of Babar Azam and his consistency with the bat he just took so fluent and so fabulous
every time, and that's what made them the favourites later on the tournament. So for
me it would have to be Babar Azam, because of what he brought to Pakistan. And of course,
his fabulous batting which has propelled him to be world number one again, if I'm not wrong.
My number one pick is exactly the same as yours, Charu. I was going to go for Babar
Azam; four half centuries, the consistency, the leadership, that sparkling opening stand
with Rizwan that just lit the tournament in the game against India. So yeah, I'm going
with Babar Azam as well.
What about a standout moment to end with? Was it the lifting of the trophy? Is it a
particular wicket? A six? A catch? Well, I'll go first on this I think it was what Matthew
Wade did to Shaheen Shah Afrid just let the whole world shell shocked & left Pakistan
shell shocked, because they may have gone on to lose but the way they lost and there
was a team that was fabulous on momentum. But three balls changed the whole game for
Pakistan, and it was just three fabulous shots. So that moment, you know still remains in
my brain. Can I share that with you as well? Or is that is that oversharing? We're just
on the same wavelength. Go on Jim, what's yours?
That's certainly one of them. But if
you want just one moment of the tournament, it was the first ball Mitchell Marsh faced
and he the hit Adam Milne into the stand for six. And that was a game changer in the momentum
of a match. Even though Australia was moving along quite well at the time, that was a big
one. The execution of the batting, the shot selection, running between the wickets. That
was as close to the most perfect partnership you'd see in the crunch in a game of cricket,
but it was triggered by Marsh hitting the first ball he faced way into the crowd. And
yeah, that was a moment, I think.
I did enjoy the send-off that was given to Dwayne Bravo
and kind of a send-off to Chris Gayle, but you know, a player retiring and yeah, the
guard of honour, those things always do leave me quite a little bit moved watching players
say goodbye and sign off and particularly someone who has been on the scene for so long
and so many years.
Finally on Stumped, we're going to hear what was one of my favourite interviews of the
year, which really does embody the quirky world of cricket. In 1994, a well-known chocolate
brand created an advert in India, which would become iconic. It saw a woman sitting on the
sidelines of a cricket match, watching her male friend score a winning boundary and then
running on to the outfield dancing with delight. Now, fast forward to 2021 and the advert was
reimagined by switching the gender roles. Chennai-based educator, swimmer and actor
Kavya Ramachandran played the female cricketer in the 2021 version. And she told us how she
felt when she saw herself in the advert for the first time.
I think there's a lot more emotions post when the advert came out. I felt it a lot more
then, as opposed to when I was shooting for it because I did not realise the impact that
the ad in 1994 created because that was the year I was born. I vaguely remember the jingle,
but I had no idea the stir that the ad had created back then. Right now, I just feel
super grateful that I could play a small part on a production like this. I've very broadly
described the advert. Describe it in more detail and how it plays out. So, I'm sure
you've all seen the original; it's a super cute dance number that Simona does, and which
is unmatched. I thought it was really refreshing when they asked me to send the audition. I
thought was really refreshing, the gender swap, because sport is something that's super
close to my heart and women getting cheered on in the field of sport is even closer. The
fact that I got to play the cricketer was the biggest highlight in my life. [There are]
so many emotions going through right now this very instant I'm talking to you. What do I
say? I realised the impact of the ad only when
I went on set because everyone was saying "Kavya, you know we're not trying to recreate
the same thing. You can't do that because that's a classic." It's treated as an ode
to honour the classic, and I thought that was important because the pleasure to recreate
something that was as big as that would have been too much if we are trying to one-up it,
because that was never the intention. And do you yourself, Kavya, can you sort of
feel quite strongly about challenging gender norms, those sort of traditional male/female
roles in society and in Indian society in particular?
Of course, I feel very strongly
because I do come from a sports background. I'm a swimmer myself. Not my immediate family,
but there are a lot of people who aren't very supportive of girls pursuing sports. When
I used to swim competitively, there used to be a lot of people who would come up to my
parents and say why are you sending her for sport? She's going to become masculine and
manly, which is unnecessary because they don't see what goes behind it, or the accolades
that come with it, or the struggle that comes with it. Especially because of that experience
in my life, I do feel very, very strongly about gender norms and breaking the stereotype.
Yeah, so to answer your question, yes, it's very, very strong. Yes.
Well, that is it for the best of Stumped for 2021. A huge thanks to all of you for keeping
us company throughout the year here on All India Radio and on BBC World Service YouTube
as well. You can follow us, don't forget, on Twitter, we're @BBCWSSport, use #BBC Stumped.
but for me and the rest of the stumped team, it's goodbye.