However, off-spin all-rounder Alice Capsey brought about a turn by dismissing Pooja Vastrakar and Harmanpreet Kaur in the space of five balls. When five runs were needed on the last ball, when debutant all-rounder Sajeevan Sajna came in, everyone was wondering how the game would end.
For the last ball, Capsai bowled a full delivery and Sajna danced across the pitch and smashed it over the long-on fence for six, creating a jubilant atmosphere in the MI dugout. Sajna screamed with joy as she led her team to victory under extreme pressure and established herself on the biggest stage of women's cricket in India by hitting a six off the last ball.
Finish now, and Sajna, based on his good WPL performances for MI, is potentially on the verge of playing for India when their five-match series against Bangladesh begins in Sylhet on Sunday afternoon.Apart from contributing a few overs of off-spin, Sajna's skills as a hard-hitting finisher is something that India are looking for in terms of lower-order strength, given that her strike rate in WPL 2024 was 158 , which was the highest by an Indian batsman in the tournament.
Former India men's wicketkeeper-batsman Kiran More, who served as MI Women's general manager at WPL 2024, recalled how Sajna's unforgettable finish on the last ball and her excellent performance as a finisher was appreciated by the team's support staff. The result was enhancing capabilities and attitudes. During the lead-up and tournament.
"Each person in the team is given specific roles and the coaches who are there do an amazing job. We had to change Sajna's mindset a bit because when players represent their state teams, they have a different set up and mentality there. it occurs.But here we decided, 'Okay, you can go, and hit a six or a four on the first ball, if you get out, no problem.'" When it came to this change in mentality he was initially Was a little hesitant, but a lot of credit goes to the support staff for a lot of effort. Impress this in his mind that you have to remain positive from the beginning. He talked to him about the mentality of hitting a four or a six on the last ball or winning the match by scoring 15-20 runs in the last over.
“She was given a lot of practice for such scenarios in the nets before the WPL started.Once Sajna started believing in herself, we as support staff gave her a lot of positive inputs. We told them, 'It doesn't matter whether your score is two or three zeros. We want you to go and hit a six on the first ball.
“At MI, we give many specific roles to individual players and that is why they perform well. Once you trust them, you have to believe in them because they have the ability to perform well and when it matters most they will definitely perform, which Sajna did for us in the opening match. “It was done for,” More said in an exclusive interview.IANS, facilitated by the franchise. More, also an MI talent scout, spotted Sajna, who represents Kerala in domestic cricket, in trials ahead of the WPL auction in December 2023, where she was bought by the franchise for Rs 15 lakh. was chosen. His first impression was that Sajna was different from the other players in the trials, and more importantly, she was a team person apart from having a tall frame capable of hitting spectacular sixes.
“She is a lovely person and always willing to help anyone. Basically, when people come to trials, they have more individual thoughts and they think about their own things.But Sajna was different, she was ready to help people, run here and there and was very talkative on the field. She wanted to perform well for herself and also for her team.”
“When you watch a player, you recognize their character very quickly because we always look at them from the perspective of a team player. Of course, it was not an easy task to bring Sajna into the team straight away, but there was always something different about her.'' “We were looking for a player who could come in and hit a six or a four on the very first ball, who Most Indian girls don't.Some players do this and Sajna is one such player who does this. We looked at it and decided that she can be a part of the Mumbai Indians team.
In MI's last league match of WPL 2024, Sajna was promoted to open the batting alongside Hayley Matthews, where she scored 30 off 21 balls before being castled out by Ellyse Perry's Jaffa. More said that the MI support staff had analyzed that Sajna could be used in the starting role when she was brought on board for WP 2024.
"We had confidence in him and that's why we said that day, 'Okay, he should be sent in to open the innings and give us good starts.'In T20, a guy goes in, plays a few shots and gets 30-40 runs in the power-play, we felt he could do that for us.' Over the years, MI has has successfully highlighted domestic talents who have made a successful transition to playing international cricket such as the Pandya brothers - Hardik and Krunal and Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav has earned an India call-up after performing well. In three-four seasons M.I.
The same scouting model is now being replicated for women's cricket, where C members of India's squad for the Bangladesh T20I tour, including captain Harmanpreet Kaur and Sajna, come from the MI set-up in the WPL. Last year, MI unearthed left-arm spinner Saika Ishaq, who became the breakout star of WPL 2023 with 1 wicket and is now in the Indian team.
“When we go for scouting, we always believe that local talent is very important for us.When you have local players in your team who are match winners, it becomes the key for us to become champions. We look at local players and groom them. Your job isn't just to select them; We take care of them throughout the year.” “MI is the nursery of Indian cricket. I don't want to talk much about men because we have produced a lot of cricketers.But for the women, we have had starts like Amanjot and Saika have made a big impact in the Indian women's team. We are developing a player who will perform for MI, where the standard is so high that it is very difficult to break into the team.
“If someone goes to the MI team and performs well, I think he has a good chance of going directly to the Indian team. Same thing happened with Saika and Amanjot. Now with Sajna in the Indian team, it is a beginning for MI and we will produce more players for the national team.There are some players in our team and you will see them playing for India in the future,” More said.
The journey to enter the national level was not easy for Sajna, who belonged to an ordinary family from Mananthavady, a village in Wayanad district of Kerala. But the belief in oneself, motivation and commitment to excel in sports despite facing many challenges has been a phenomenal journey. In the 2018 Tamil sports-drama film Kanna, Sajna decided to play for India alongside actor Aishwarya Rajes. The aspiring player played a cameo role and was also in the playing eleven against Bangladesh. If Sajna makes her India debut in Bangladesh, it will be a case of turning reel into reality.More believes that this is just the beginning for a brilliant talent like Sajna to make her mark at the international level. “He is a very hard-working and extremely disciplined player; She handles herself very professionally and is an excellent bowler. When you go and play at the top level you can't just stay at the same level. You have to keep improving and your graph has to be really good all the time, because now a lot of people will be looking at it.
“They might be wondering, what are his positives and weaknesses? What batting and bowling do I have? This is a good start for him, but he really has to work extra hard, and put his mind to improving the game and going from there.I don't want to put any pressure on him. She will have to perform like she has done for Mumbai Indians. More also believes that Sajna fits the requirements of the Indian team which is now preparing for the Women's T20 World Cup to be held in Bangladesh later this year. Ready for. “Whatever specific role Indian tea coach Amol Majumdar will give him, he will have to perform in it for the team. Performing for India is a different ball altogether because you are representing your country.
“The feeling of playing for India is a thrill that we all dream of.When I look at the batting order of the Indian team, Sajna fits the bill perfectly for me, because they need a player at number six or seven who can go and hit fours and sixes. She can also give you some bowling overs and field very well.”
"That's why the coaches and selectors must have thought, 'Oh wow, she can be a good X-factor for the Indian women's cricket team and perform well for us.' So with the arrival of Sajna, the team will definitely look stronger in that area. You will see that their performance will improve and hopefully India will become champions in the (T20) World Cup this year.
For the last ball, Capsai bowled a full delivery and Sajna danced across the pitch and smashed it over the long-on fence for six, creating a jubilant atmosphere in the MI dugout. Sajna screamed with joy as she led her team to victory under extreme pressure and established herself on the biggest stage of women's cricket in India by hitting a six off the last ball.
Finish now, and Sajna, based on his good WPL performances for MI, is potentially on the verge of playing for India when their five-match series against Bangladesh begins in Sylhet on Sunday afternoon.Apart from contributing a few overs of off-spin, Sajna's skills as a hard-hitting finisher is something that India are looking for in terms of lower-order strength, given that her strike rate in WPL 2024 was 158 , which was the highest by an Indian batsman in the tournament.
Former India men's wicketkeeper-batsman Kiran More, who served as MI Women's general manager at WPL 2024, recalled how Sajna's unforgettable finish on the last ball and her excellent performance as a finisher was appreciated by the team's support staff. The result was enhancing capabilities and attitudes. During the lead-up and tournament.
"Each person in the team is given specific roles and the coaches who are there do an amazing job. We had to change Sajna's mindset a bit because when players represent their state teams, they have a different set up and mentality there. it occurs.But here we decided, 'Okay, you can go, and hit a six or a four on the first ball, if you get out, no problem.'" When it came to this change in mentality he was initially Was a little hesitant, but a lot of credit goes to the support staff for a lot of effort. Impress this in his mind that you have to remain positive from the beginning. He talked to him about the mentality of hitting a four or a six on the last ball or winning the match by scoring 15-20 runs in the last over.
“She was given a lot of practice for such scenarios in the nets before the WPL started.Once Sajna started believing in herself, we as support staff gave her a lot of positive inputs. We told them, 'It doesn't matter whether your score is two or three zeros. We want you to go and hit a six on the first ball.
“At MI, we give many specific roles to individual players and that is why they perform well. Once you trust them, you have to believe in them because they have the ability to perform well and when it matters most they will definitely perform, which Sajna did for us in the opening match. “It was done for,” More said in an exclusive interview.IANS, facilitated by the franchise. More, also an MI talent scout, spotted Sajna, who represents Kerala in domestic cricket, in trials ahead of the WPL auction in December 2023, where she was bought by the franchise for Rs 15 lakh. was chosen. His first impression was that Sajna was different from the other players in the trials, and more importantly, she was a team person apart from having a tall frame capable of hitting spectacular sixes.
“She is a lovely person and always willing to help anyone. Basically, when people come to trials, they have more individual thoughts and they think about their own things.But Sajna was different, she was ready to help people, run here and there and was very talkative on the field. She wanted to perform well for herself and also for her team.”
“When you watch a player, you recognize their character very quickly because we always look at them from the perspective of a team player. Of course, it was not an easy task to bring Sajna into the team straight away, but there was always something different about her.'' “We were looking for a player who could come in and hit a six or a four on the very first ball, who Most Indian girls don't.Some players do this and Sajna is one such player who does this. We looked at it and decided that she can be a part of the Mumbai Indians team.
In MI's last league match of WPL 2024, Sajna was promoted to open the batting alongside Hayley Matthews, where she scored 30 off 21 balls before being castled out by Ellyse Perry's Jaffa. More said that the MI support staff had analyzed that Sajna could be used in the starting role when she was brought on board for WP 2024.
"We had confidence in him and that's why we said that day, 'Okay, he should be sent in to open the innings and give us good starts.'In T20, a guy goes in, plays a few shots and gets 30-40 runs in the power-play, we felt he could do that for us.' Over the years, MI has has successfully highlighted domestic talents who have made a successful transition to playing international cricket such as the Pandya brothers - Hardik and Krunal and Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav has earned an India call-up after performing well. In three-four seasons M.I.
The same scouting model is now being replicated for women's cricket, where C members of India's squad for the Bangladesh T20I tour, including captain Harmanpreet Kaur and Sajna, come from the MI set-up in the WPL. Last year, MI unearthed left-arm spinner Saika Ishaq, who became the breakout star of WPL 2023 with 1 wicket and is now in the Indian team.
“When we go for scouting, we always believe that local talent is very important for us.When you have local players in your team who are match winners, it becomes the key for us to become champions. We look at local players and groom them. Your job isn't just to select them; We take care of them throughout the year.” “MI is the nursery of Indian cricket. I don't want to talk much about men because we have produced a lot of cricketers.But for the women, we have had starts like Amanjot and Saika have made a big impact in the Indian women's team. We are developing a player who will perform for MI, where the standard is so high that it is very difficult to break into the team.
“If someone goes to the MI team and performs well, I think he has a good chance of going directly to the Indian team. Same thing happened with Saika and Amanjot. Now with Sajna in the Indian team, it is a beginning for MI and we will produce more players for the national team.There are some players in our team and you will see them playing for India in the future,” More said.
The journey to enter the national level was not easy for Sajna, who belonged to an ordinary family from Mananthavady, a village in Wayanad district of Kerala. But the belief in oneself, motivation and commitment to excel in sports despite facing many challenges has been a phenomenal journey. In the 2018 Tamil sports-drama film Kanna, Sajna decided to play for India alongside actor Aishwarya Rajes. The aspiring player played a cameo role and was also in the playing eleven against Bangladesh. If Sajna makes her India debut in Bangladesh, it will be a case of turning reel into reality.More believes that this is just the beginning for a brilliant talent like Sajna to make her mark at the international level. “He is a very hard-working and extremely disciplined player; She handles herself very professionally and is an excellent bowler. When you go and play at the top level you can't just stay at the same level. You have to keep improving and your graph has to be really good all the time, because now a lot of people will be looking at it.
“They might be wondering, what are his positives and weaknesses? What batting and bowling do I have? This is a good start for him, but he really has to work extra hard, and put his mind to improving the game and going from there.I don't want to put any pressure on him. She will have to perform like she has done for Mumbai Indians. More also believes that Sajna fits the requirements of the Indian team which is now preparing for the Women's T20 World Cup to be held in Bangladesh later this year. Ready for. “Whatever specific role Indian tea coach Amol Majumdar will give him, he will have to perform in it for the team. Performing for India is a different ball altogether because you are representing your country.
“The feeling of playing for India is a thrill that we all dream of.When I look at the batting order of the Indian team, Sajna fits the bill perfectly for me, because they need a player at number six or seven who can go and hit fours and sixes. She can also give you some bowling overs and field very well.”
"That's why the coaches and selectors must have thought, 'Oh wow, she can be a good X-factor for the Indian women's cricket team and perform well for us.' So with the arrival of Sajna, the team will definitely look stronger in that area. You will see that their performance will improve and hopefully India will become champions in the (T20) World Cup this year.
