Harmanpreet’s 171 changed Australia as a team and shaped how we wanted to play: Alyssa Healy Premium

During an exclusive interview with The Hindu, Alyssa Healy spoke about being part of an all-conquering Australian team, captaining a franchise in the WPL’s maiden season, the rivalry with India, growing up with the great Ellyse Perry and how a knock by Harmanpreet Kaur forced a change in Australia’s approach to ODI cricket and even impacted her own career.

Alyssa Healy greets you with a bright smile on a pleasant Thursday morning at Trident Hotel on Mumbai’s Marine Drive. The hotel is about a 10-minute walk from Brabourne Stadium, where a fortnight earlier she played a stunning knock.

Chasing Royal Challengers Bangalore’s modest 138 in the Women’s Premier League, she cracked an unbeaten 96 off 47 balls to lead UP Warriorz to a 10-wicket victory. That was only the latest of her big, brutally aggressive innings.

Healy is marvellously destructive and, to add to the bowlers’ woes, she bats deep. In last year’s World Cup final against England at Christchurch, the Australian wicketkeeper-opener played one of the great ODI innings, smashing 170 off 138 balls.

During an exclusive interview with The Hindu, the smiling assassin spoke about being part of an all-conquering Australian team, captaining a franchise in the WPL’s maiden season, the rivalry with India, growing up with the great Ellyse Perry and how a knock by Harmanpreet Kaur forced a change in Australia’s approach to ODI cricket and even impacted her own career. Excerpts:  

It has been a great learning experience for me. We have got a coach that is English [Jon Lewis], the captain who is an Australian and we are playing in an Indian league; to have been able to pull them together is great.

Yes, it has. I thought it would be frenetic, exciting and somewhat chaotic at times. It has lived up to all the hype. I think the support for the WPL has been the best part. The viewership has been great. And every team has got sponsors all over their shirts.

He really did well and the boys did a great job. He loves that white new ball. It looks like he is in good nick and is bowling fast. It’s obviously hard to beat India in their home conditions, especially in a World Cup year.