How pep-talk from MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli and others inspired India’s women’s team

Rarely it happens that a country’s men’s and women’s cricket team simultaneously tour other cricket playing nation. Recently, both of India’s teams toured Australia and played a three-match Twenty20 International (T20I) series with their counterparts. Matches of both the series’ coincided on the same dates and were being played at the same venue. Video: India’s winning moment and Twitter reactions

While the men’s cricket team scripted history by becoming first team ever to whitewash Australia in Australia, women’s team wasn’t far behind either, as they beat Australia’s women’s team 2-1 in the series. This is a commendable achievement by a team that does not play international cricket in different conditions too often. So, what really boosted their morale?

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Well, the presence of their male counterparts at the same grounds did a world of good to the women’s team. The chance encounter with the likes of MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Harbhajan Singh and Ajinkya Rahane helped the women’s team acclimatize and reading the game well. The members of men’s team not only shared their experience, but also told them to keep up with the good work they were doing. The bonhomie and mutual respect amongst the teams augurs well for Indian cricket.

India’s fielding coach R Sridhar told BCCI.tv, “It was nice to bump into the Indian women’s team at Adelaide before the first T20I. I know the girls well from my tenure at the National Cricket Academy and we have helped them in a few camps. All I told them was – ‘these are one of the best batting wickets around the country and chasing a score will be a very good option. The very fact that captain Dhoni, Kohli, Harbhajan, Rahane and a few other boys went and met the girls at the ground shows that the men’s team takes equal interest in the women’s game.”