From a typical Meg Lanning fifty, to the growth of Jemimah Rodrigues from the child prodigy in 2017 to the seasoned campaigner in 2023, to Pooja Vastrakar’s superb bowling performance, to the Mumbai Indians’ scouting process, to Amanjot Kaur’s fighting knock. Jhulan Goswami – the person who’s seen the rise of each of players up, close, and personal – was here speaking about each of these moments at the post-match press conference in Delhi on Tuesday (March 5). Excerpts..

On Meg Lanning’s innings

She is such a quality cricketer. When you get her cheaply, it is different. When she starts playing her shots and starts finding the gaps, it is very difficult to stop her. She batted really well today. Our bowlers also bowled well in patches, but unfortunately, we didn’t take those half chances, which was the difference today.

Whether Shabnim Ismail bowled a 130kmp+ delivery today

I am not sure if that was 130+. As long as she is bowling well, hitting the right areas and enjoying, let her continue with that.

On Jemimah Rodrigues’ 33-ball knock of 69

Definitely, Jemi (Jemimah) played a quality knock. It was nice watching her bat, but not against us (laughs). Jokes apart, the way she built her innings was a treat to watch. We can learn a lot from her innings. A good day for her and a bad day for our bowlers as we didn’t execute our plans properly.

On seeing Jemimah’s growth since her debut

In 2017-18, she was a young kid in the team in the Indian team. She is a mature cricketer now. She has a lot of control now and her shot selection has improved. What I enjoy about Jemi is that she is down to earth and likes to learn new things. Good to see her batting in the competition so far.

The message given to MI’s batters in the chase

The message was simple – play your natural game. Unfortunately we couldn’t get a good start and lost early wickets which put us under pressure. Our top order didn’t click and we were still able to narrow that gap. If our top order clicked, we would have gotten that result. The wicket was very good. The ground is a high-scoring ground. It is difficult for bowlers to get you out unless you play rash shots.

On the new players at MI

First of all, you have to give credit to the MI scout team. They try to cover matches where girls play through the year. They bring them to the camp and then we see who fits which role, and then from that we found Amandeep (Kaur). It is the WPL and therefore the Indian players are very important. You have only four foreigners and need seven Indian players. You need quality Indian players. The way the scouts and management go through all  tournaments deserves a lot of credit. They give us a lot of options before the Auction. That’s what MI men’s cricket does as well, and it is the quality of the MI culture.

On the mishaps in the fielding tonight

Fielding is a part where you have to improve regularly. The more your practice and the more catches you take, the more you will find the right position. Sometimes these things happen. I won’t use light as an excuse, but sometimes different venues, where girls are not used to playing, are a factor. They will learn from these things in the coming seasons. In the coming time, they will improve. You need to practice on these ground dimensions as well to judge the angles. We didn’t get the time to practice. We just practiced for 45 minutes before the match. Had we practiced a day before, the runs leaked could have been lesser and the catching could have been better. Whichever team adapts better will have a good chance of winning going ahead.

Whether batters in the MI middle-order are not used to batting in that position

The middle and lower middle-order players play in the same position in the Indian team as well. They know the process and the top five batters are quality cricketers. They are constantly chatting with them and learn new things from them. You might have an off day. The lower order got a chance today and they performed well. They got a chance and brought the game closer. The way Aman (Amanjot Kaur), Sajana (Sajeevan) and Pooja (Vastrakar) as well batted, it was good to see the Indian cricketers coming down the order and taking responsibility.

On Pooja’s success and her role with the ball

We have given them clear roles. Pooja is such a quality cricketer. She comes after the powerplay and we have dedicated bowlers in different situations. She bowled very well today. She should continue this rhythm for long, because she is bowling well. Wish she gets a lot of success in the coming days. As a bowler it is important to get rhythm and it is important to hold that rhythm. She will definitely improve and she is a big asset to our team.