On settling down in her new batting position at No. 5
I think for me the important thing is what the team needs from me and how I can contribute, be it batting at No. 3, opening, or lower down the order. I think the team believes that me batting at that number [five] will make a massive difference for the team and I am up for it. For me, it is all about adapting to situations and conditions, the mindset is always the same. I think I’m trying to be a little more aggressive and positive, because sometimes situations at No. 5 are different than at No. 3. At No. 3, you build an innings, you build partnerships, you run and you do everything to give your team momentum. At No. 5, you already know the situation and from there you have to take whatever you get. I’ve been working a lot of that, and it starts from the nets, going all out from the first ball because it may be that you need six runs off one ball.

Coming to my power-hitting, the work is still going on. I have to put in a lot more effort, maybe compared to others, because my game is more about timing. But I’ve been working on it. And I’m glad to see it coming. My dad always tells me that you don’t need to be a muscular person to score runs, you just need to have brains and get runs your way. And that is the best advice I have got on this.

On the India team’s increased emphasis on fitness and fielding
From the time [Amol Muzumdar] became our coach, he made it very specific. Recently, we had a camp just on fitness and fielding. And we worked a lot there. See, it’s a long process. But we keep at it, and I can assure you that we are getting better, that is for sure. I think we will continue to get better and it’s nice to have specific things that we are focusing on and everyone is aware of it and everyone’s given a plan and we’re working to it. And also our fielding coach [Munish Bali] is very specific about it with each player. So as a team everyone is trying to get that goal.

How much has watching Virat Kohli helped?
I feel we have very similar batting styles. Whenever he hits sixes, he hits it in the gaps so that he can get at least a boundary even it’s a mishit. It’s very smart cricket that he plays. That’s what I try to add to my game. And more than anything else, just sticking to my process and what style suits me, I bat like that. He also runs well between the wickets, he builds an innings, he likes working hard through the innings… so I just find a lot of similarities. I take a lot of inspiration from him.

I was just 18 when I traveled all alone abroad [for the Kia Super League]. And I had to do everything on my own – laundry, cook my own food, stay in apartments, travel alone. I think that experience changed me a lot because I’m not used to being alone”

Jemimah Rodrigues

On her takeaways from all the franchise-cricket exposure over the years
When I played the Kia Super League, that was the first league I played. I think more than anything else, that was a game-changer for me. I was just 18 when I traveled all alone abroad. And I had to do everything on my own – laundry, cook my own food, stay in apartments, travel alone. Everything I had to manage, the money and everything. I think that experience changed me a lot because I’m not used to being alone. Even in the Indian team, I was like the baby of the team, everyone loved and took care of me, and I knew everyone. Then this was a whole new thing, and that changed me a lot as a person, made me more independent and, at the same time, made me stronger. And also, I did really well in the Hundred, the WBBL, the WPL. The more cricket you play with such great team-mates all around the world, the better you get.