<p>For the Royal Challengers Bangalore, captained by Smriti Mandhana, March 15, 2023, was a memorable day. They endured five straight defeats to begin the Women’s Premier League season until they eventually registered a victory at DY Patil Stadium. With 46 runs at the time, young Kanika Ahuja stole the show, but the team’s victory was set up by the bowlers. With two wickets, Asha Sobhana did her share of the work. Her Hang Loose Celebration even captured the hearts of social media users.</p>
<p><img decoding=”async” class=”alignnone wp-image-448757″ src=”https://www.theindiaprint.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/theindiaprint.com-asha-performs-well-for-rcb-with-sivaramakrishnans-tutoring-at-her-side-newindianex-750×499.jpg” alt=”theindiaprint.com asha performs well for rcb with sivaramakrishnans tutoring at her side newindianex” width=”992″ height=”661″ title=”Asha performs well for RCB with Sivaramakrishnan's tutoring at her side 3″ srcset=”https://www.theindiaprint.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/theindiaprint.com-asha-performs-well-for-rcb-with-sivaramakrishnans-tutoring-at-her-side-newindianex-750×499.jpg 750w, https://www.theindiaprint.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/theindiaprint.com-asha-performs-well-for-rcb-with-sivaramakrishnans-tutoring-at-her-side-newindianex-1024×682.jpg 1024w, https://www.theindiaprint.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/theindiaprint.com-asha-performs-well-for-rcb-with-sivaramakrishnans-tutoring-at-her-side-newindianex-768×511.jpg 768w, https://www.theindiaprint.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/theindiaprint.com-asha-performs-well-for-rcb-with-sivaramakrishnans-tutoring-at-her-side-newindianex-150×100.jpg 150w, https://www.theindiaprint.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/theindiaprint.com-asha-performs-well-for-rcb-with-sivaramakrishnans-tutoring-at-her-side-newindianex.jpg 1200w” sizes=”(max-width: 992px) 100vw, 992px” /></p>
<p>One individual who was really pleased by Asha’s bowling at the time was Laxman Sivaramakrishnan, a former Indian international. “I think Asha is a natural talent and it’s crucial that they know what they’re doing right and do it consistently, so I’m willing to coach her for free.” She may be India’s match-winner in the 2023 World Pool.” Sivaramakrishnan saw Asha’s potential and wanted to assist her in realizing it.</p>
<p>“There aren’t many excellent leg spinners in the world of cricket, so I went on Twitter and offered to train her for free. Why not assist someone if I can? After Asha grabbed five wickets for Bangalore to help her side defeat UP Warriorz by two runs in a tight WPL match, Sivaramakrishnan informed this newspaper that Asha had been to Chennai about three weeks ago when I had three days free to participate in the WPL.</p>
<p>Asha became aware of the difficulties at the top level, where one must consistently perform in order to leave their imprint, during her first season with the team, in which she took five wickets and played in five games. Sivaramakrishnan knew she had skill too; she just needed to put it all on the greatest platform she could. The two made the most of their time together, and Sivaramakrishnan expressed his gratitude to his pupil for taking in all he had to teach. “It involved making minor technical adjustments before deciding on how to approach the graphics and game. With three days and two sessions a day, we concentrated on the mental and technical aspects of the game. Despite the little time we had to work on it, she picked everything up fast and did a fantastic job getting started in the WPL “he said.</p>
<p>With her side in dire need of wickets, Asha demonstrated her talent and attitude. Within the same over, Asha dismissed Australian vice-captain Tahlia McGrath and ended newcomer Vrinda Dinesh’s lengthy vigil. However, in her third over of the match, Asha was struck for eleven runs. When it seemed like UP was about to win, skipper Smriti Mandhana handed the 32-year-old the ball despite being struck. Asha bowled a fantastic over to capture three wickets in an over, including that of Grace Harris, one of the cleanest ball hitters in women’s cricket, while giving up only two runs to keep Bangalore in the hunt for a victory in front of their home fans.</p>
<p>“We’re thrilled to have won our first game in front of our supporters, and I’m not worrying about my five wickets. In the post-match presentation, Asha said, “I saw the scenario and completed my homework because I knew it would be something like this. The already gifted bowler benefited from the effort that went into Sivaramakrishnan’s technical adjustments and visualization. The mentor is ecstatic for his ward. “I felt she bowled exceptionally well, showing great control, and winning the tight game by getting three wickets in an over at the correct moment. Her talents and attitude have been excellent. Seeing her win the match—which was a really tight game—brought me great happiness. She worked really hard, but it’s an amazing accomplishment to take five wickets, particularly in a T20 match,” he said.</p>
<p>Asha, who had just won a match, was very appreciative of Sivaramakrishnan’s crucial contributions. “Laxman Sir gave me a free coaching session. I trained with him in Chennai, and it was a very educational experience,” she informed the press. We had a lot of conversations, which helped me improve (my bowling). After the game, I spoke with him as well. He thought highly of my performance. I received three days of free tutoring from a great spinner. I will always remember it for the rest of my life. I’m grateful to Laxman, sir,” Asha said with humility.</p>
<p>Despite a thrilling conclusion that favored her side, Sivaramakrishnan had a straightforward message for Asha. “I believe this is only the beginning. You must understand that there are high expectations placed on you. Thus, you must continue in this way. You need to approach each match one at a time since every match is so crucial to you, even if this five-wicket haul will boost your confidence. And it hasn’t placed too much pressure—one over at a time. He informed her over the phone that leg spinners win matches, and it is her responsibility to obtain wickets.<br />
Bangalore currently has a match-winner in its ranks who is motivated to help the team win more games. Whatever her journey, Asha has already made history in the WPL thanks to the former player who saw her potential.</p>
