Fitness, nutrition and fielding - CAB focuses on these three things in the new U-16 Girls

This will be the first time the Cricket Association of Bengal is going to create an under-16 girls team. The CAB has appointed ex-cricketers to find the best from the state in that category. With a possible chance of an under-16 girls tournament at the state level, CAB has not left any stone unturned for that tournament. CAB Apex council member Gargi Banerjee, and appointed coaches Priyanka Roy and Beas Sarkar shared their thoughts on this initiative by CAB in an exclusive interview with Sportz Point.

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"It is excellent from CAB to get girls from all the corners of Bengal who can be a great addition to the pipeline of the Bengal women's team," said Gargi Banerjee, former India cricketer and CAB Apex Council Member. Nearly 67 players were present at the CAB Indoor Coaching Center to give trials over the four days. The trial started on the 9th of July and continued till the 12th of July.

"For the first two days, we had a look at the registered players who have not had the opportunity to play at any level till now. In the next two days, there were registered girls who have the experience of playing at any level," Gargi Banerjee added.

"Few of these girls can play for the U-19 team too:" Gargi Banerjee

"The thing which excited me the most was that all the girls had knowledge of basic cricket. That is fantastic. Moreover, all of them looked well-nourished and fit. Even I can tell you that few of the girls can play for the U-19 team looking at their skill and fitness. This is fantastic. If we can get these girls ready in the next few months, Bengal cricket will have many more future stars," Gargi Banerjee expressed.

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Former India cricketer, Priyanka Roy who has been given the responsibility to coach the girls echoed the thoughts of Gargi Banerjee. "The main thing is that the bench strength of Bengal will strengthen from this. The girls looked great for their age. Few were excellent as well. I think this will be huge if BCCI starts the U-16 Tournament for the girls," Priyanka Roy told Sportz Point.

"Fitness, Nutrition and fielding, these are three things we are focusing on along with skill:" Priyanka Roy

Generally, in women's cricket, girls at the age of 17-18 play for India if they are good. Shafali Verma and Richa Ghosh are the current examples of that. Priyanka Roy believes with the ICC U-19 Women's World Cup, many international stars will emerge from this age category. "The early they come, the more time we have to polish them. We saw a few girls of 9,10 and 11, which is outstanding. If we can make them fitter, stronger with the skills, they will be making Bengal and India proud one day for sure," Priyanka Roy added.

"We are making sure they are fit, strong and know to field well. These are three things we are focusing on fitness, nutrition and fielding along with skill. We know their skills will automatically enhance if these are on point."

Priyanka Roy

Beas Sarkar, the former India cricketer and current Strength and conditioning coach feels the same as Priyanka. "The most important thing is that we are getting these girls early. Training an athlete of 22 is harder than training someone of 11-12. Their body takes it naturally, which is very important," Beas Sarkar said.

Strength and conditioning along with the right nutrition can help any athlete reach their peak and most importantly help them stay at their peak. Beas Sarkar believes when an athlete does all the things needed to fuel her body and conditions them well for a period, they are bound to get results. "With fitness and strength training, their capability to hit a ball or run twos and threes get enhanced which ultimately makes them score more or get more wickets. So the early we can make the girls realise the importance of this training regime, the more benefit they will get," Beas Sarkar added.

"Guardians need to be aware of what their kids are eating": Beas Sarkar

However, she feels that it is the guardians of these young girls who need to look after these athletes as well. She feels, "The guardians, especially the mothers need to be aware too. The kids will be with us for three to four hours. But, the maximum time they will spend with their family. Hence, they need to look after what their kids are eating, and how much sleep they are getting. These things are very important too."

"That is why we asked every kid about their background," said Gargi Banerjee. "It is important to know how they are fed, how much sleep they get and also how they study which is important as well," she added. Gargi Banerjee felt every kid looked well-nourished and guardians also looked well aware of these facts. Still, CAB will try to conduct seminars with parents as well once the squad has been made.