How Coach Devieka Palshikaar Is Helping MI Build Its Next Gen

Nita Ambani, Mumbai Indians franchise owner, said a few years ago that the “Mumbai Indians is rightfully known as the nursery of Indian cricket.”

As much as it applies to the Men’s team that plays the Indian Premier League (IPL), it’s definitely true for the team led by Harmanpreet Kaur in the Women’s Premier League (WPL) as well. 

While the team is studded with modern cricket superstars like Nat Sciver-Brunt, Hayley Matthews, Amelia Kerr, Shabnim Ismail, and Harmanpreet herself, it also boasts of a really solid Indian representation. 

While capped Indian players like Yastika Bhatia, Pooja Vastrakar, Amanjot Kaur and Sajana Sajeevan form the core of the side along with the ones mentioned above, the squad also includes young and upcoming domestic talents like Sanskriti Gupta, G Kamalini, Jintimani Kalita, Akshita Maheshwari and Amandeep Kaur. 

We have seen so far that due to the presence of top international players, it's rare that young Indian or uncapped players get an opportunity to shine. However, whenever an opportunity comes to them in a game, it inadvertently arrives at a crucial juncture. 

So, how to train these young players to be ready for the role? How to talk to them in their own language and help them work on their basics? 

While Indian legend Jhulan Goswami ably supports head coach Charlotte Edwards in deciding the overall direction of the team, MI needed someone who has had recent domestic coaching experience and was familiar with the skill levels and ceilings of the plethora of Indian domestic cricketers in the side. 

That’s where coach Devieka Palshikaar comes in. Palshikaar has played 15 ODIs and one Test for India and has had a long and illustrious coaching career. While she’s currently involved with the Kerala senior women’s team as their head coach, she has also coached Goa, Bangladesh and the Indian team. 

She was a perfect fit to prepare this ‘nursery’ of young cricketers. This experience helped her confidence while she took up probably the most high-profile coaching role of her already renowned career. Not only that, but she also had to build a team from scratch. 

“The first season was a completely new setup,” the 45-year-old told Cricket.com in an exclusive interview. 

“However, the process and the kind of experience all the coaching staff was carrying helped us a lot as I had worked in the domestic circuit before, including NCA camps. So before working with these players in franchise cricket, I had already worked with them at the domestic level. That trust was already there between us.

“For example, amongst the young players [we have in the MI setup], I had already worked with Kamalini, Parunika, and Sanskriti Gupta. So someone they know is already here. It helps them adjust to the conditions.”

So, how does Palshikaar prepare these youngsters to rise from the shadows of the giant that bats in the top of the MI side? For Palshikaar, more than the challenge of the task, the opportunity it presents is key for the youngsters rising through the ranks. 

“We have the world's top four best international players currently playing XI,” Palshikaar said with a smile. 

“On top of that, we have India's captain. So for them [the youngsters], it is an excellent experience and exposure to be with them in this circuit, sharing the dressing room and taking the experiences for them. Whenever a chance comes, they just have to go there, and whatever experience they are getting, whatever learnings they are having from this [training], they have to deliver in the centre,” she added. 

It’s no secret that MI have been heavily reliant on their top five batters, with three of them (Kerr, Matthews and Sciver-Brunt) being the top allrounders in the world. The fact that Amanjot, Kamalini and Sanskriti have been able to do that so far is a testament to the work put in by the support staff.

“That's what Kamalini and Sanskriti did yesterday [against RCB],” Palshikaar remarked. 

“There are top batters to bat before their batting will come, so the chances will be less. So whenever an opportunity comes, they have to grab it. We, as a coaching staff, are training them for this. So I'm sure they are mentally prepared for all this.” 

However, these players don’t get ready to perform these roles suddenly. There are pre-season camps where players are trained for such crunch situations. That’s also where coach Palshikaar gets to work individually with these players. From Sajana’s famous last ball six to Amanjot’s attack against RCB in the chase, all were planned and formulated at these camps. 

“I had a thought of taking the separate camp for these domestic players, who we know will get very few opportunities, but whenever they get a chance, it will be a crucial moment,” Palshikaar explained. 

“For example, as you have taken Aman's and Sajana's names, I can tell you that last year when we picked Sajana, I spent three-four days with her just for that lofted shot [which she hit on the last ball to win MI the game] because we know she had the power. 

Also read - Mumbai Indians' Other 'Kaur' Rises From Shadows To Conquer Chinnaswamy

“The only thing is the areas where she hit earlier, where she would have found the fielder. But the area which is straight between long on and long off is where you will not find a fielder even if the shot goes here and there. So we practised for that shot last year. 

“This time, before coming for WPL, we also had a five-day camp in Vadodara with Aman. Akshita [Maheshwari], Amandeep and Yastika were part of that camp as well. Everybody was surprised to see Aman hitting those sixes. But not me. I was sure that Aman could hit in that area because we were working on that.”

While players like Amanjot can manage expectations well since they have already played for India, not all players deal with the transition well. Palshikaar affirmed that it's as much a mental thing as it is about fine-tuning techniques for the highest level. 

“The technical aspect is not much; it is just some fine-tuning that is done at this level,” the MI coach said. 

“If it comes to tactical things, on the WPL level, the biggest difference from the domestic or international is the crowd, I would say. So mainly, we prepare their psyche. We always make them aware of the situation so that if a chance comes they should be prepared for that. It is all about the process.”

Palshikaar is also involved in scouting duties for MI, as she sees domestic cricketers throughout the year in her role with Kerala. When asked if she’s seeing domestic talent improve after the WPL, she felt that WPL has greatly motivated players to get better. 

“Has it [the quality of domestic talent] gotten better? Yes, definitely in the last three years after WPL has come,” Palshikaar said. 

“I am currently the head coach of the Kerala [senior women’s] team in the domestic circuit. I can see that the talent is definitely there, and they dream of playing in the WPL. So players nowadays are making extra efforts to be on that platform.

“Overall, the standard has raised. I would say the kind of standard women had 10 years back and what we have after the WPL is completely different. Most of the players can easily hit sixes. So they are working extra on their diet,  fitness and other skills also.”

With the standard of cricket rising and teams like MI and coaches like Palshikaar ready to put in the effort to prepare and train their nursery of young talent, WPL has proved yet again that it’s the best thing to happen to Indian women’s cricket in the last two decades.