How MS Dhoni’s advice enhanced Indrani Roy’s wicketkeeping 

Young Indrani Roy is one step closer to her dream of playing for India, with the wicketkeeper selected for India Women’s tour of England next month. The Jharkhand cricketer recently revealed how MS Dhoni’s advice has done wonders for her game.

Indrani Roy received her maiden call-up a few days ago, as the BCCI announced a 21-member India Women squad for the upcoming seven-match tour of England. India Women will play a one-off Test, three ODIs and three T20Is against England Women, and the 23-year-old is likely to make her debut in the white-ball leg of the tour.

She spoke to Sportstar after the call-up, sharing how MS Dhoni played an integral part in improving her game as a wicketkeeper.

“During a training session in Ranchi sometime last year, I had a long conversation with Mahi Sir about how to improve my game and he had told me that I should ensure that I improve my reflexes and movement in the five-meter radius,” Roy admitted.

MS Dhoni is often seen imparting knowledge and giving advice to young cricketers. During IPL 2021, the CSK skipper was seen in close conversation with several youngsters like Shahrukh Khan and Chetan Sakariya, with the players later crediting MS Dhoni for his sound advice.

The young wicketkeeper will now get a chance to showcase her skills on the international stage, with Indrani Roy sharing how she always tries to keep MS Dhoni’s advice in mind.

“For wicketkeepers, that’s a key thing and he advised me that I should try and get better. That actually helped me. Learning a thing or two from a legend like Mahi Sir is a privilege and his advice actually helped me improve my game. Every time I hit the ground, I try to remember his tips,” Roy admitted.

Hard work has paid off, says Indrani Roy

India's Test & ODI squad:Mithali Raj (C), Harmanpreet Kaur (VC), Smriti Mandhana, Punam Raut, Priya Punia, Deepti, Jemimah, Shafali, Sneh Rana, Taniya Bhatia (WK), Indrani Roy (WK), Jhulan Goswami, Shikha Pandey, Pooja Vastrakar, A. Reddy, Poonam Yadav, Ekta Bisht, Radha Yadav.

— BCCI Women (@BCCIWomen) May 14, 2021

The wicketkeeper-batter was the leading run-scorer in the Senior One Day Trophy 2020-21, with Indrani Roy boasting an average and strike rate of 76 and 86.52 respectively. She was the only batter to score 400+ runs this year. Her domestic exploits have catapulted her into international recognition, and Indrani Roy was pleased to see her hard work pay dividends.

“Hard work has paid off. I am looking forward to sharing the dressing room with the senior players and learning from them. This will be my first outing with the national team and if I get a chance in the final XI, I will try and do my best,” Roy concluded.

Indrani Roy will compete with Taniya Bhatia for a wicketkeeper slot in the coming months. Bhatia returns to the squad after missing the series against South Africa Women earlier this year.

🗨️Team India's latest member Indrani Roy shares her success mantra 👇 pic.twitter.com/VQKSYsktb1

— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) May 16, 2021