WPL opened my eyes to what it’s like to be an Indian cricketer: Alyssa Healy

Australia’s wicketkeeper-batter Alyssa Healy, who took over the reins of captaincy from the legendary Meg Lanning, earlier this month, spoke exclusively to JioCinema. Excerpts: 

On replacing Meg Lanning as captain 

It’s a huge shoe to feel. Obviously, we know how successful Meg was as a player and also as a captain of the Australian team. It’s not lost on me that there are some really big shoes to fill. From my perspective, it’s a nice opportunity to see how I would go and take the team into the next generation and the next version of the legacy that they want to create. It’s really exciting to get the role full time. I have been filling in for the last twelve months. 

On her philosophy around captaincy 

There is no ego in me being captain. It’s not a dictatorship. I am not here to tell anybody how to play. It’s more about encouraging the next generation of leaders within our group and we’ve got some amazing senior players who are captaining domestic teams. We’ve got the next generation of superstars coming through, closing that gap and ensuring that they can lead themselves and drive the way they want to play the game. I am encouraging everyone to have their voice. That’s really important to make this team successful for the next 10-15 years. 

On learnings from the WPL 

The WPL opened my eyes to what it’s like to be an Indian cricketer. We’ve traditionally come here and played as an Australian team against India. With the WPL, I’ve got a new appreciation for the boys and girls who play cricket in India. It does not give us an upper hand as to what conditions to expect, but we just adapt. Getting to know all the girls is something we don’t get to do at the international level. But to sit in the same room as someone like Deepti Sharma and see how she goes about things was an eye-opening experience. 

On the cultural differences between India and Australia 

In Australia, we love sport. We are not overtly fanatical about any one sport. We just love our athletes. Over here, certain cricketers are celebrities and the Harmanpreet Kaurs and the Smriti Mandhanas are on the billboard. That’s a big deal over here. For me, that was eye-opening to see what they have to deal with day-in-and-day-out and how much fans in particular want you to win.  

On Husband Starc’s record IPL bid

I was at the gym preparing for the Test match at the time of the bid. Initially it was a shock and amazement that such a bid could happen. It’s a crazy amount of money. From his (Mitchell Starc’s) point of view it’s an opportunity to get back and experience the IPL. He hasn’t been here for eight years so for him it’s an exciting opportunity to experience a new team and new franchise, and play a significant role for them.