'It’s hard to get her attention on the field' - DC skipper Meg Lanning on 'talented and energetic' Jemimah Rodrigues

Australian legend Meg Lanning was the leading run-scorer in the inaugural season of the WPL 2023, amassing 345 runs in nine matches. In an exclusive interview to JioCinema ahead of the Season 2 opener against Mumbai Indians on Friday, the Delhi Capitals captain, Lanning, spoke about her team’s prospects this year, the weeks she spent at a café post-retirement from international cricket, and what she thinks of teammate Jemimah Rodrigues: Excerpts:

On life after her retirement from international cricket: "It’s been good to be a little bit quieter, little bit slower pace, but I am ready to get back into the WPL. I have still been playing some domestic cricket back home, just trying to get ready for the tournaments I am playing in."

On working in a café post her retirement last year: "I worked at a café for about eight weeks, mainly just taking the coffees out. I would have loved to have been a barista but that may have been my next step. I do like my coffee and I have been to a few cafés in my town. I thought I’ll go and check it out from a different perspective and it was something I enjoyed doing."

On how Delhi Capitals dealt with the WPL final loss last year: "Obviously, we would have loved to win and we got reasonably close to that. We didn’t make as many runs as we would have liked to. We had to fight really hard with the ball and Mumbai were just too good in the end. But to play such good cricket throughout was great. Hopefully, we can go one better this year."

On DC’s preparations for Season 2 of the WPL: Everybody looks like they have improved and they are enjoying their cricket and are ready for the start of the season. We know each other a lot better than we did last year and we’ve got a reasonably similar squad as well. Hopefully, that'll mean we’ll be able to play well.

On all-rounder Annabel Sutherland’s inclusion: "She comes into the team in hot form. I have played a lot of cricket with her and she’s a great addition, both with the bat and the ball. She has matured a lot on and off the field over the past 12 months. She will add a lot of depth, a lot of firepower to our team and I am excited to see how things go."

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On Bengaluru and Delhi, the tournament venues: I have played once in Delhi a number of years ago, so we are relying on some local knowledge. Generally, for T20 cricket in India, the tracks are pretty flat, targets hard to defend but good for batting."

Playing in front of the Delhi fans for the first time: "We are really pumped to play in front of our home fans. We really felt the support last year playing in Mumbai, but playing in front of our fans is something the group is looking forward to."

On something that’s less known about DC vice-captain Jemimah Rodrigues: "She’s got a lot of talent obviously. She plays her music as well. She brings a lot of energy. It’s actually hard to get her attention on the field. Sometimes, she’s dancing for the crowd and performing for them. I had my challenges trying to get hold of her but it’s nice to see her enjoying herself. So, let’s see how it goes this year."

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On her role as a captain: "I am a very different captain now then what I was at the start. A lot of it has got to do with instinct, especially in T20 cricket. It changes so quickly and you always need to stay a step ahead. So, it’s always a good challenge for me to think about what the batters may be trying to do, and plan with the bowlers accordingly. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. You've got to expect to fail a fair bit and expect things not to go right, but that’s the game and you need to work out the road ahead."

On how she plans to retain the Orange Cap she won last year: "It will be nice to contribute like I did last year. But my number one priority is to win the tournament and help Delhi win the tournament. So obviously, as a batter, I need to make some runs. That’s the plan I am looking forward to. I have always enjoyed playing in India and it’s going to be tough. You’ve got some good bowlers out there and there’s no hiding these days as everybody knows what you do. So we’ll go out there, have some fun and see what happens.