India is a team with momentum at the moment — that’s really important heading into a big event: Rachael Haynes

Rachael Haynes belongs to an bonzer league of women that made the Australian cricket squad the top successful history. She was the archetypal subordinate to discontinue from that aureate generation. The 38-year-old is simply a victor of 2 ODI and 4 T20I World Cups.

After making 98 connected her Test debut astatine No. 7 against England astatine Worcester successful 2009, the left-hander moved up the order. She served the Australian top-order with favoritism for the champion portion of a decade. She was besides a superb fielder who came up with immoderate stunning catches. She captained Australia during the team’s palmy defence of the Ashes successful 2017.

Excerpts from an exclusive interrogation Haynes gave The Hindu astatine New Delhi:

You person been to India connected respective occasions, arsenic player, manager and tv commentator. Women’s cricket has changed a batch successful India, hasn’t it?

Yeah. I was present for the WPL. I got to beryllium portion of that archetypal play [2023] and that was a truly breathtaking tourney to beryllium portion of. It has been a mates of years, and it is bully to beryllium back, though successful the commentary box, successful a spot of a antithetic role. I deliberation the India-Australia bid has been a truly absorbing 1 to travel due to the fact that some of these sides are evidently tuning up for the World Cup. It has been absorbing to spot them find the close combinations and also, I suppose, physique that rivalry that we cognize India and Australia have.

And India is astir apt the 2nd champion squad successful the world.

I deliberation they are a squad with momentum astatine the infinitesimal and that’s truly important heading into a large tournament.

How bash you look backmost astatine the acquisition successful the WPL? You were portion of the inaugural WBBL backmost successful Australia arsenic well.

I accidental it was truly antithetic to Season One of WBBL that I was portion of. The crippled has travel specified a agelong mode implicit that time. And yeah, I accidental determination was a batch of sound astir India having a mentation for the women. When they yet introduced the tournament, I mean, hats disconnected to them. They did a fantastic occupation successful creating a existent spectacle, evidently drafting immoderate of the champion players successful the satellite to the tournament. And it was done successful a small spot of a antithetic style, you know, with the auction format for players.

And for a change, determination was truly bully wealth successful women’s cricket.

That is right. And I americium definite the players, you know, earlier the existent players person laid a truly bully foundation, I suppose, for this procreation to beryllium capable to measurement into and bask a spot of fiscal reward.

You joined Gujarat Giants arsenic the caput manager successful the archetypal WPL. But you had a large setback erstwhile your skipper and champion subordinate Beth Mooney got injured successful the precise archetypal lucifer and had to propulsion retired from the tournament.

Beth picked up that calf wounded and it is not casual to regenerate a subordinate similar that. To suffer some her keeping and her batting, it is efficaciously 2 skills successful a team, which threw our equilibrium retired a small bit. But that is portion of elite sport; that happens. And yeah, we conscionable weren’t capable to rather get going aft that archetypal match. But each successful all, it was truly large to enactment with the section players.

And successful the WPL’s inaugural lucifer astatine Navi Mumbai, Harmanpreet Kaur played that blinder to pb Mumbai Indians to a immense victory. She besides played 1 of the finest ODI innings, against Australia successful the 2017 World Cup semifinal astatine Derby.

I wasn’t playing successful the match, but I was connected the seat that day. And it was conscionable immoderate of the astir phenomenal hitting I person ever seen. The ball-striking was amazing. It didn’t substance what Australia tried to bash to counteract it, she had an answer. And that innings was nary exception. She is simply a fantastic player. And I person had the accidental to play alongside her arsenic good astatine the Sydney Thunder successful the WBBL.

But successful the adjacent variation successful 2022, Australia regained the World Cup, and you made 68 successful the last against England astatine Christchurch and had a large concern with Alyssa Healy for the archetypal wicket.

It was great. Alyssa was perfectly smoking the shot and playing wonderfully. So I fundamentally conscionable enactment myself down astatine the different end. But yes, it is bully to lend successful large tournaments and I accidental to spell connected and acquisition that squad occurrence together. Because that is yet wherefore you play sport: to beryllium portion of that win.

How bash you look guardant to the World Cup starting present successful India connected September 30? You wouldn’t caput an India-Australia last perhaps?

I would perfectly emotion to spot that. This is simply a existent accidental for the Indian side. You know, it’s a immense privilege to play successful a location World Cup and to person that enactment around. And we surely experienced that successful the T20 World Cup successful Australia backmost successful 2020. That was easy the astir rewarding and amusive tourney I person ever been portion of arsenic a player: we played that last astatine Melbourne successful beforehand of 86,000 radical that supported us.

Apart from Australia and India, who bash you deliberation could marque the semifinals?

I deliberation England volition beryllium there. You know, Charlotte Edwards is specified a fantastic manager and they volition person Heather Knight coming backmost into their team. And I deliberation South Africa volition get through, just.

What makes this Australian side, of which you were a portion until 3 years ago, truthful good?

I deliberation 1 happening the squad and the enactment and coaching radical person done good is marque definite they are ever giving younger players an accidental astir the environment. They person brought Nicole Faltum and Charli Knott, who are benignant of performing good successful home cricket.

How bash you presumption the changes the women’s crippled has seen since the clip you started out?

I deliberation the crippled has conscionable continued to evolve, and that has coincided with an accrued concern from a batch of antithetic boards astir the world. So Australia, England and India are astir apt truly starring the mode successful that respect. The occurrence of the nationalist broadside is truly underpinned by the spot of your home programme, and determination is nary coincidence from my constituent of presumption that the apical 3 teams successful the satellite astatine the infinitesimal are well-funded and person good, beardown home structures. I accidental successful fairness to New Zealand, they are the existent T20 World Cup holders. But a batch of their players extremity up connected that benignant of home circuit astir the world.