Vrinda Dinesh - a self-confessed cricket tragic determined to power through the ranks
When the Women's Senior Selection Committee announced the India A squad for the Emerging Asia Cup in Hong Kong in June this year, Vrinda Dinesh wasn't one of the 14 names on the list.
Fate, however, works in mysterious ways. Cut to June 21, and Vrinda was basking in glory with her India A teammates, having played an instrumental role in the final to defeat Bangladesh A.
It came under the unfortunate circumstance of an injury to fast bowler S Yashasri. While the selectors decided to replace her with a frontline batter, Vrinda vindicated the move in the only opportunity that was presented in front of her.
On a sluggish pitch at the Mission Road Ground in Mong Kok, Hong Kong, the Karnataka opener - batting at No. 3 - laid the groundwork with a 29-ball 36 and emerged as India's top-scorer. The eventual total was just 127/7, but it was worth plenty more on a better batting surface as the victory margin (31 runs) justified.
That Vrinda did so against a bowling unit breathing international experience aplenty in the form of Marufa Akter, Nahida Akter, Sultana Khatun and Rabeya Khan solidified her feat into something even more remarkable.
What worked for her on the day of the final? Vrinda gives quite a simple answer as she dives into it and more in a tell-all chat with Sportskeeda:
"What worked for me that day was I played according to the situation. I had to get used to the conditions at first. The wicket was slow so I realized that we had to rotate strike and dig deep that day, and you would probably get those one-two overs where you can cash in. Once that came in, I think it got easier for the team to set a score on that wicket," says Vrinda.
India A played a grand total of two games in the Emerging Asia Cup, with murky weather playing spoilsport throughout the tournament.
It left Vrinda and her teammates very little preparation time for the summit clash. But that was something neither she nor the team, led by head coach Nooshin Al Khadeer and assistant coach Apurva S Desai, let affect them.
"It was actually difficult because I didn't have a single practice session once I reached there. On the day of the final I just had to go feel the atmosphere, feel the ground because until then we had no exposure to such things. It was quite difficult but our support staff - Nooshin ma’am and Apurva sir - spoke to me prior to the game and told me that I could play my game. I just relied on what they said and it helped me get through," says Vrinda.
The challenge aside, it was a dream come true for Vrinda, an experience she cherishes dearly.
"I’m really grateful for the opportunity that I received. It was something I really wanted to do and when that opportunity came by I just wanted to give it everything. When you’re representing your country, there’s no greater feeling than that. I just wanted to give it my everything that day to bring India across the line."
Vrinda Dinesh and cricket - a match meant to be
Cricket runs in Vrinda's blood. It's a family thing after all, with her father, uncle and cousin all playing the sport at the club level.
It's no surprise that she took to the sport - and batting in particular - quite fondly with her family egging her on.
"I’ve always been this cricket tragic. Since I was 5 or 6, I used to play a lot of gully cricket. There was this one summer camp which took place in KIOC (Karnataka Institute of Cricket). So my father said why don’t you try professional cricket. I took part in this one summer camp, then the selections came by and I got into the U19 squad. From there on, it just became very serious for me," states Vrinda.
Karnataka have developed into one of the stronger teams in the Indian domestic circuit today - a fact reiterated by their run into the final of the Women's Senior One-Day Trophy earlier this year. They fell short against a relentless Railways outfit, but Vrinda was one of the lynchpins who catalyzed the team's charge into the summit clash.
Vrinda topped the run-scorers' charts for her team and finished third overall for the tournament, with 477 runs at an average of 47.70. She had three half-centuries to her name, including a solid 104-ball 81 in the semifinal against Rajasthan.
That this came on the back of a 348-run campaign in the 2021-22 edition tournament, where she averaged 87 and compiled two half-centuries and two hundreds, is reflective of a batter with a penchant for consistent runs.
What also doesn't come as a surprise in this regard is who Vrinda looks up to as her role models.
"It’s always been Virat Kohli. I also look up to Meg Lanning a lot. I like the way she bats, the way she carries her team, the way she builds that atmosphere in the Aussie team, the winning mindset - that’s something I really look up to."
With a host of players jostling for top-order spots in the senior team, Vrinda, being one among those, views that competition positively.
"For me, competition is a good thing. I try and cut it down to my game or what the team needs. I think that’s very important as a batter, not to just go beyond. Competition is always there but it’s what we can do on our day and I believe in that," says Vrinda.
Adversity and the art of overcoming it the Vrinda Dinesh way
The journey wasn't smooth for Vrinda. No cricketing or sporting journey ever is, after all. Having debuted for the state as a teenager in 2019, she was left out of the XI after a couple of appearances and found herself confined to the bench.
The going wasn't easy, and the human emotion of frustration must have set in at some stage. Looking back at that time, Vrinda acknowledges the learnings from that phase.
"One big thing it taught me back then was being patient. I just followed putting in the work and waiting for my time to come. Those situations have gotten me mentally tougher because now I’ve realized that I have what I have and I’ve been putting in the work. I just have to have a bit of patience and everything will fall into place."
Vrinda's time in the sun eventually did come, and her purple patch in the last couple of years testify towards the same.
Vrinda is a pupil of the New Innings Cricket Enterprise (NICE) in Bengaluru, where she regularly hones her craft under the close eyes of her coach Kiran Uppoor. By her own admission, she trains every single day at the academy when she isn't playing, and Uppoor reserved special words of praise for one of his star students:
“She is okay to lose or accept failure and then move on quickly from there and say, ‘Yes, I’m going to come back tomorrow.’ She believes in her ability and skills. She never gives up on anything. She wants to fight back - that’s something which I learn off her too," says Uppoor.
The journey ahead - climbing up the ladder
Having made a name for herself in the 50-over format, Vrinda now has her eyes set on making a splash in the shortest format, with the Women's Senior T20 Trophy around the corner in October.
She attributes picking the brains of Vanitha VR and Veda Krishnamurthy, two seasoned India internationals who are now coach and captain respectively in the Karnataka setup, as a big part of her development.
"Having Vanitha VR, an experienced former Indian cricketer who has been part of the Maharaja Trophy and has also been part of the WPL, as well as Veda Krishnamurthy, our captain - they’ve played a lot of international cricket. I learn very closely from them. They tell me things I should probably work on or try to avoid."
"Their experiences together will probably take us (Karnataka) to our maiden T20 title. They’re more like friends and they always have your back. They’re always there, they give you that support. They give you that lineage to go express yourself. It makes it quite comfortable to play in the team so that’s something that really helps," acknowledges Vrinda.
Vrinda's talent hasn't gone unnoticed, with a couple of Women's Premier League (WPL) teams tracking her closely. Participating in the league is high on her bucket list, too.
"I am really looking forward to it. I just want to rub shoulders with the overseas as well as our international cricketers, try to learn as much as I can from them and probably put that into good use while playing for the country to make sure India wins a lot more and play a big role in what India’s going to do going forward."
One can argue she has already taken a giant step towards the same, having had the opportunity to partake in a camp arranged by the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) - where Vanitha happens to be the fielding coach and scout - post the conclusion of the inaugural WPL season earlier this year. She was summoned to partake in camps by the UP Warriorz (UPW) and the Gujarat Giants (GG) as well.
For someone who has followed the thrills of franchise cricket over the years, what was that experience like at these camps?
“In the camps with RCB, UPW and GG, I got a lot of insights on how international cricket is being played or where I can upskill my game a little more. There were a lot of key insights that have probably taken my game to another level," states Vrinda.
It's been a steady growth for one of the country's budding batting talents. The graph continues to move upwards, and she has an extrapolation of the journey mapped in her mind. The ultimate destination is, of course, pretty obvious:
"I’ve always wanted to do something for my country. And I thought this was one path that I chose that could help me make that dream come true. It’s always been an aspiration to play for the country - no bigger dream than that (smiles)."
Confident about her methods and with an undying passion for the game, Vrinda Dinesh is swiftly striking the right chords. And she's only getting started!