New Delhi, March 12 : Seam-bowling all-rounder Saima Thakor came into limelight by dismissing Harmanpreet Kaur with a ripper of a delivery in WPL 2024 for UP Warriorz. After that tournament, where she took three wickets in six games, Saima found her way into the India ODI set-up.

On her debut against New Zealand in Ahmedabad last year, Saima took 2-26 in her seven overs and now has ten wickets in seven ODI games. She also shared a crucial 70-run partnership with Radha Yadav in the second ODI, as they made a record for the highest ninth-wicket stand for India women's team.

Tipped by UPW head coach Jon Lewis to lead the charge in Indian fast-bowling department, Saima endured a challenging time in WPL 2025, where she couldn't secure a wicket in her four appearances as the side finished at the bottom of the points table.

'It was a good experience. We had a very balanced team. We were hoping that we could perform better than this. It's just a game of cricket. I mean, it's very funny. The team that plays good cricket gets good results, though we found a good combination at the end,' said Saima in an exclusive conversation with IANS.

Since the advent of WPL in 2023, it has changed the lives of many Indian cricketers and Mumbai-based Saima agrees with the life-changing exposure the tournament has provided to her.

'WPL is a very different game because you have a lot of international players together. So I honestly go and I talk to them a lot about the game. There is a lot of different cricket in India, while cricket in their country is still very different. So, it is very much required in women's cricket.'

'Only domestic players play domestically and we didn't have that many levels to represent. As soon as WPL came, we got that opportunity. It is a big deal to grab an opportunity like this, as from there, we get to be on the radar of selectors and coaches.'

A firm believer in meticulous preparation, Saima said visualisation has helped her a lot. 'It helps in terms of like what will I do next? How will my day be planned? For me, analysis, strategy, tactics, it matters a lot. I have been doing this throughout my career, even in the domestic games. Even if I know that there is a weak team, I still do the analysis. The process should be the same.'

Family support has been integral to Saima's journey. She fondly recalls her mother's experience watching her play in her first game for the Indian team. 'My mother and my maternal uncle and some of my relatives came to watch me for the first time in the stadium. I was nervous whether I would do well or not.'

'I had it in me that they are coming here for the first time and I wanted to do well. It was a great feeling that I was just happy being there - that she has come and she has watched me from the time when I started playing cricket in Shivaji Park.'

'From Shivaji Park to Ahmedabad, where one of the biggest stadiums in the world is, I didn't sleep that night thinking about it because I was very nervous. It was a great feeling when I took my first wicket. I did the baby-like celebration, but it was for my niece and nephew because it was my first international wicket. All I could remember was them.'

What was going through Saima's mind before her debut happened in Ahmedabad? She remarked about wishing to continue what has been giving her success all these years. 'You won't believe it but nothing goes through my mind. I feel like there will be a lot of things, but when I got the debut cap and I was informed of it a night before, nervousness came in.'

'It's normal to be nervous as you think more about what will happen in the first game, as everybody will be watching. Your first games' are always important, and I didn't feel anything. I was also instructed to go there and enjoy your game, that's all. I just wanted to continue what I have been doing for so many years.'

Such has been the impact of Saima taking up cricket and excelling in it that her mother has started to understand the sport deeply. 'She is a very huge Jemi and Smriti fan. She doesn't watch cricket to watch me ' she watches it to see Jemi and Smriti. She would be the last person in the world to watch cricket. But after I made my debut, she started watching cricket and learning about cricket.'

'She started watching the podcast of Smriti and Jemi- she doesn't watch my interviews or podcasts. It's a funny, but a good thing that she is getting involved with all these things. My family doesn't have any history of sports. But there is an effort that they are trying to learn about the sport.'

'They ask me what a wide ball is or how do X, Y, Z, G, Z, B, W things happen. It's not that detailed, but she is trying to learn a lot of things. It's a big thing that she is changing a lot of things, and I am happy that I am the one who is changing that. After my debut, she came down and met me. She was looking for Smriti first.'

'I said, 'Mummy, I am here'. She came and hugged me. Of course, we both got emotional. She met Jemi and everybody came. Tejal's parents were there, as Tejal (Hasabnis) was also making her debut. It was a good day. We won with a good margin. She was very happy that I am playing at that level with all these legends.'

Balancing personal identity with professional aspirations, Saima strives to carve her own niche in the cricketing world by being herself and with support from her India team-mates, as she now looks to make the cut for the Indian team in the 2025 Women's ODI World Cup, set to played at home later this year.

'I would say, I just try to be myself. I find my old friends to hang out with, that's a normal thing. Once you get that maturity in life, you don't get that much happiness from material things. But it's more about the feeling that you get. Yes, success, and this cricket will do very well one day.'

'The next day it will be like you don't know how to play or something like that. The ups and downs are on the way, but it's more of how you react during your failures, and when things are not in your control and how you behave at that time, that's more important than the success that you get.'

'I was discussing with one of my friends the other day that a lot of people don't get to do all the things that we are getting. So first of all, being grateful is something big, and yes, representing India was a long, big dream and a very big journey of maintaining 'karna hai' attitude.'

'When you get that, you get it at the right time and things start going in your favour. Then you figure out everything, why it went like that way, and why didn't I get it earlier? So whatever it was, it's just a perfect timing - either of being in WPL or anything else.'

'When we go to the Indian team, we've got amazing senior players in Harry, Smriti, Jemi and Deepti. They're so open that I can just go and talk to them about anything, not just cricket, but anything, which is a good thing that as a newcomer, I'm getting that much freedom."

'So it's more about your freedom rather than trying to be someone else. Because I cannot be another Smriti and Jemi, that's what I think of ' making my own image and I'm going to be the first Saima. So that's what I've learnt in the Indian team. Our senior players work so hard there - we see, and still get inspired. I still look forward to winning the big cup this year - the World Cup.'

/IANS