Shweta Sehrawat, the young batting sensation from Delhi, took the first ever women’s Under-19 World Cup by storm earlier this year. She spoke to Naman Agarwal about her campaign, the balancing act between education and cricket, her senior India aspirations and more.
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When South Africa was finalised as the venue for the first Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup, it raised hopes among the Indian cricket community. The last time the inaugural edition of a T20 World Cup was held in South Africa, it turned out to be a watershed moment for the men’s sport. Could this, then, lead to an encore for the women’s game?
Turns out it did. The Indian women triumphed, beating England in the final and winning their first ever ICC trophy in the process. Just before the senior Women’s T20 World Cup, where India came agonisingly close to beating Australia in the semi-final, and the inaugural edition of the Women’s Premier League, the tournament marked the beginning of what may turn out to be one of the most significant phases in the history of women’s cricket in India. And 19-year-old Shweta Sehrawat was at the centre of it, leading India’s charge to glory.
Sehrawat was the highest run-scorer in the tournament with 297 runs from seven games. She struck at 139, and was dismissed only thrice, which took her average to a Bradmanesque 99. Yet, she could have missed the tournament altogether but for an intervention from National Cricket Academy (NCA) head VVS Laxman.
The NCA camp of 2022 clashed with Sehrawat’s board examinations, something she was keen on not missing. She told Wisden India how the NCA and Laxman helped her navigate the issue: “I had my board exams, so I had to miss the first half of the camp. I attended the last seven days. Laxman sir gave me permission to attend the last seven days of the camp.
“Towards the end of the camp, we had two matches. In one of them, I scored some 30-35 runs off relatively fewer balls. And in the second I scored a hundred, which impressed the coaches. They then sent a letter to the higher management that I should be selected for the India Under-19 team.”
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Shweta had an incredible Under-19 World Cup which she started off with an unbeaten 92 off 57 balls against hosts South Africa.[/caption]
Sehrawat acknowledges her family’s role and support as she continues to juggle between her careers: “It was difficult (decision to take the board exams), but thankfully with the help from my family, I was able to manage both. They asked me to focus on the exams first and assured me that the camp would be fruitful after that. So I did that. And touchwood, things fell in place after that.”
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Things did fall in place, and how: she was appointed captain of the India Under-19s that played several bilateral and multi-nation series before the World Cup in January 2023.
In November 2022, in an Under-19 quadrangular series involving India A, India B, Sri Lanka, and the West Indies, Sehrawat led India A to victory. A 5-0 sweep in a T20I series against New Zealand Under-19s followed next month. More often than not, she would end up as the leading scorer of whatever tournament she played.
By the time the squad for the Under-19 World Cup was to be announced, Sehrawat knew the ins and outs of the entire contingent and the players in contention, having led them to wins regularly over the past few months.
Yet, Shafali Varma‘s eligibility for the tournament meant that she was selected as the captain, having already played senior international cricket for several years. Sehrawat was relegated to vice-captaincy.
To her credit, Sehrawat took the decision in her stride and did what was best for the team – build a rapport with her captain: “I thought it was a good thing that we would have a senior and more experienced player with us. It would allow me to learn more about leadership as well,” says Sehrawat when asked about her views on the captaincy call.
“Since I was better versed with the team and the players, my intention was to help Shafali with whatever inputs and information she needed from my side. It was important for us to be on the same page if we were to win the World Cup. And we were.”
Sehrawat credits the pre-World Cup preparation the Indian team for getting them mentally ready to face every challenge at the tournament. “Pressure is there in every match you play, whether it is a World Cup match or not,” she laughed. “We had already played against West Indies, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, and South Africa (before the World Cup). So the confidence kept building from there. We were in a nice flow. That helped a lot. With every passing game, we felt like we were getting more and more into form.”
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Following a successful World Cup, Sehrawat was picked up by the UP Warriorz for the inaugural edition of the Women’s Premier League. While she managed just 34 runs from six games after having to shuffle around in the batting order from the top to No.8 and back, she learnt a lot from the international players, particularly their training methods.
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Shweta had a lot of learnings to take home from her time in the inaugural edition of the WPL.[/caption]
“I used to talk a lot with Tahlia McGrath and Grace Harris. They used to share their routines with me, and how they trained in Australia. They do a lot of match-scenario training, which helps them in match situations. So I learned how to integrate that into my practice sessions from them,” says Sehrawat.
Sehrawat insists that this has helped the Australians develop an ability to handle pressure: “We [India] also do it, but not as well as the Australians. They focus a lot on this particular type of training, which helps them perform better under pressure. For example, if you need 12 or 14 from 10 balls in a match, and if you have trained for this particular scenario in practice, you would know how to go about it.”
Still only 19, Sehrawat is already a World Cup winner, a tag not a lot of other Indian female cricketers can boast of. More girls come up to her for advice and inspiration now, but she is firmly grounded and knows that her journey has just started: “Kids come to me at the academy and ask me, ‘didi (sister), how should I do things?’ and it feels good. But the thing is even I am in a developing stage right now.”
When asked about how she prepares ahead of a season or a tournament, and the targets she sets for herself, her confidence and clarity of thought shine through: “The only aim I have is to become the highest run-scorer of whatever tournament I am playing.”
India will host the 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup, and Sehrawat has her sight firmly on the goal. Her aspirations are simple: “I don’t have a hard-and-fast deadline, but I do have an aim of playing in the 2025 World Cup which will be in India. So I am trying my best for that.”
Sehrawat already has the highest run-scorer’s tag in a victorious World Cup campaign for India, their first in women’s cricket. It’s only fair if she dreams of another one.
