Ind vs SA 2024 – Arundhati Reddy 2.0 – stronger, calmer, ready for all formats

Three years later, she established herself in the national team, named in all formats against South Africa at home.

The last few years haven’t been the easiest, but Reddy has had a little help from a familiar face: Biju George. He was the coach of the Indian women’s team from 2017 to 2019 and was also the one who wanted her to join the Delhi Capitals team, of which he was a part, in the 2023 WPL.

In the first WPL, under the captaincy of Meg Lanning, Reddy bowled a total of nine overs in four innings and picked up only two wickets. The Capitals finished second. Reddy knew she had to do something to get more opportunities in domestic cricket in order to stay relevant.

She decided to leave Railways after being part of the team from 2017-18 to 2022-23. Railways are a powerhouse in the Indian women’s domestic circuit, having dominated the 50-over and T20 format for decades. However, it was not an easy decision.

“She took a big gamble to leave the railways,” George told ESPNcricinfo. “For a player like her, from a middle-class family… getting a job in cricket is very, very difficult. None of the oil companies like ONGC recruit women anymore. You have to run your house with this whether you win from the railways and the WPL or the national circuit, she knew that if she performed well at the national level, she (would get a) central contract and (a team in) the WPL, which would be better for her. in the long run. That’s exactly what happened.

“She has become very calm. She is in no hurry. The biggest unspoken rule in cricket is that you always have more time than you think. As soon as you understand that, you are sorted. She sorted her thought process. She gets in the zone very quickly.

“Even though she doesn’t have a wicket, she doesn’t make magical deliveries, she just keeps things simple.”

After the WPL 2023, Reddy met George – who also works with the Delhi Capitals men’s team – in Hyderabad during the IPL. She talked to him about not having enough opportunities and leaving the railroad. A call from her to the Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) was enough for her to move to Kerala for the 2023-24 season.

She took her time to find her feet with the ball in the Senior Women’s T20 Trophy in 2023, but in the Senior Women’s One-Day Trophy, her batting took off. She scored 252 runs in five innings, including three half-centuries. Before the season, she had worked with batting coach Arjun Dev at the NICE Academy in Bengaluru.

In WPL 2024, she transformed into a different player with the ball. She played all nine matches and bowled a total of 29.3 overs – the second highest by a Capitals player – and picked up eight wickets at an economy of 7.62.

“At DC, she focused on skills. She worked on Yorkers, her release points; she didn’t move the ball at first, she just slid it down. But when we got the ball right, wrist position, she started bowling well and she started swinging (the ball) both ways. For batting, she was working with Arjun, so batting also flourished.

“She also became stronger, gained muscle. Mentally she also became stronger.”

“If you look at it another way, it (being left out of the Indian team) is a good thing. It has made her stronger and resolute. It has made her a better player for India and I think she will be one of our assets for the World Cup.”

Biju George on Arundhati Reddy

After the WPL, she competed in the multi-day interzonal tournament for the South Zone, scoring an 85 against the West Zone and a 57 against the East Zone in the final. It was an indication that she had leveled against the red ball as well, earning her a call-up to the Indian team for the upcoming one-off Test against South Africa.

Throughout it all, Indian batter Jemimah Rodrigues and Ananya Upendran, a former Hyderabad coach who is also part of the Capitals’ scouting team, constantly gave Reddy words of affirmation and encouragement and kept his spirits up in his quest for a comeback.

“She always had the support of Jemimah and Ananya. Those two people are vital to her. They always keep talking to her, pushing her,” George said. “Aru is very wise now, she knows how much to train – when to train, when to push, when to take a break. She is very good at managing herself. And it has really paid off.

“If you look at it another way, it (being left out of the Indian team) is a good thing. It has made her stronger and resolute. It has made her a better player for India and I think she will be one of our assets for the World Cup.”

The T20 World Cup is three and a half months away. And a home ODI World Cup is more than a year away. But if she has indeed evolved, she will take advantage of most of the opportunities that present themselves in the home series which begins on Sunday.