SELDOM it happens in international sports that a team takes top perch twice in space of 10 days. The Indian women’s cricket team won the Women’s Asia Cup T20 title in Dubai and 10 days later, claimed the Asian Games gold medal in Japan. On both the occasions, the Harmanpreet Kaur-led side decimated Sri Lankan women to emerge victors and become continental champions. For Vidarbha’s Bharti Fulmali, who was part of historic victories, both titles have special place and can’t be compared with each other. The hard-hitting batter said winning the gold in multi sport event was a completely different experience. “Both — Women’s Asia Cup T20 title and Asian Games gold are very special. They are special for different reasons.

 

The Asia Cup is a very prestigious tournament in cricket, while winning gold at the Asian Games and being part of a multi-sport event was a completely different experience. So, I wouldn’t really compare them. I feel fortunate to have experienced both and contributed to both victories,” Bharti said while talking exclusively with ‘The Hitavada’ from Japan after India crushed Sri Lanka by 147 runs in the final. Bharti, who will be turning 32 in October, was happy that the team defeated same opponent in two different finals in less than a fortnight. “It feels really special. Whenever you play the same opposition twice in a short period, they know your strengths and weaknesses and you know theirs as well. So, to perform well again and come out on top shows the consistency and confidence within our team. More than anything, I’m really happy with the way the whole team contributed,” she stated. After Asia Cup victory, the team was high on confidence and believed in themselves.

 

They never got complacent and but focussed on doing the basics well. “We definitely believed in ourselves, but we weren’t thinking about winning by a particular margin. The focus was on doing the basics well, starting strongly and maintaining the intensity throughout the game. Once we got momentum, everyone kept pushing, and fortunately everything came together really well. The result was obviously very pleasing,” said Bharti about the golden victory. For the right-handed batter, it was a fantastic and learning experience being part of the multi-sport event. “It was a fantastic experience. Playing cricket is one thing, but being part of the Asian Games Village and being around athletes from so many different sports was something completely new for me. You get to see how athletes from different disciplines prepare, compete and handle pressure. It was a great learning experience, and I’m really grateful that I got the opportunity,” said Bharti who has played 15 T20 Internationals for India. Apart from learning various aspects of the game, the biggest positive for Bharti from this Asian Games was the confidence she gained while playing on big platforms. “The biggest positive for me is the confidence that comes from performing on big occasions. These tournaments also taught me the importance of staying in the present and trusting the preparation. Being surrounded by experienced players and competing at this level gives you a lot of learning, both as a player and as a person. I gained a lot,” she said.

 

The lanky batter said there is always a scope of improvement and she would like to improve her consistency and fitness level. “There is always room for improvement. I would like to become more consistent and keep developing different aspects of my game, especially under pressure. I also want to keep improving my fitness and fielding because those are areas where you can always get better. The aim is to keep learning and contribute to the team in whatever role is required,” she explained. Indian women team’s fielding was not up to the mark in Japan and Bharti felt that the team will have to work on improving small moments.

 

“The fielding is something that can always improve. It comes down to repetition, intensity and taking pride in those small moments. We have a lot of talented athletes in the team and if we continue to work consistently on catching, ground fielding, throwing and movement, we can keep raising the standard. The important thing is to make those skills work automatic under pressure,” the Amravati native cricketer said. The response from the Japanese spectators surprised Bharti and she said events like Asian Games is a great way to promote cricket. “I was pleasantly surprised by the response. There was genuine curiosity and excitement whenever people came to watch us. Some spectators were experiencing cricket for the first time, so it was nice to see them getting involved and enjoying the game. I think events like the Asian Games are a great way to introduce cricket to new audiences, and it was wonderful to be part of that,” Bharti signed off.