"It didn't feel like she was a world-class batter who I cannot approach" - Devika Vaidya on opening with Alyssa Healy for UPW
All-rounder Devika Vaidya was a part of the UP Warriorz (UPW) team in the WPL 2023 season which went all the way to the Eliminator. There was a lot of anticipation about how the WPL was going to change the landscape of women's cricket in India and Vaidya feels that the seeds for that change have been sown successfully.
After the initial few games, Devika Vaidya got the golden opportunity to open with Australian superstar and UPW skipper Alyssa Healy. She opened up on how Healy gave her and others in the team the confidence to express herself.
In an exclusive chat with Sportskeeda, here's what Devika Vaidya had to say about the experience of batting with Alyssa Healy:
"WPL will only help us more and more with time as players will share their experience. When batting with Alyssa Healy, she always used to come to talk to me and keep me motivated. It didn't feel like she was a World-class batter that I cannot approach for advice. The clarity in communication from them was just so good that we clearly understood what our role was in the next game whether we won or lost."
Devika Vaidya also spoke about the exposure that Indian players like her get while sharing the dressing room and rubbing shoulders with some world-class players from all around the world. She added:
"I got the exposure of franchise cricket for the first time (in WPL) and it was just amazing because of the mixture of players from different parts of the world. The combinations were different and also we got to learn a lot from Australian and English players about the way they prepare for games. The players from the U19 World Cup also realized what they need to do to get to the next stage. We also had get togethers where we learnt about each other's cultures."
Devika Vaidya on her future goals
Devika Vaidya, ever since her India comeback in December last year, has been in and out of the Indian team. However, she is focused on the future with two big ICC events happening in conditions favorable to spinners - ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2024 in Bangladesh and the ICC Women's World Cup 2025 in India.
Speaking about her preparations and future goals, Vaidya stated:
"With the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh next year and then World Cup '25 in India, there will be a lot of games played. So it's important for me to focus on my physical and mental fitness. After a number of months we have a bit of an off season where I am focusing on strength training and fitness and then gradually we will start working on our skills as well."
The WPL will not only unearth talented Indian players from domestic cricket but will also give chances to players like Devika Vaidya to cement their spot in the Indian team.