When There Are 3-4 Best Squads, No Way You Would Miss A Great Player: RCB’s VR Vanitha Explains Scouting

VR Vanitha, who started out as an India women's batter, making her debut in 2014for the senior national team, is now better known for breaking the glass ceiling and becoming the first woman in India to be the head coach of a professional men’s team, coaching the Shivmogga Lions in Maharaja Trophy. 

But before her stint with Shivamogga, Vanitha made headlines as a scout for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) women’s side in the Women’s Premier League (WPL). 

In an exclusive chat with cricket.com, Vanitha revealed what goes behind the curtains in scouting for players and how RCB were able to put out the best team in the WPL’s inaugural season and the season that followed. 

Also Read: Vanitha VR Interview: 'About Time India Win Women’s ODI World Cup'

“If I have to talk about RCB, when we all sit in to pick the team, the idea and thought process behind picking a team matters, the brand of cricket matters. When you have clarity on these roles, it becomes easier to pick a team,” Vanitha said on The Women’s Cricket Podcast on cricket.com.

Explaining how RCB’s Malolan Rangarajan has broken down the auction process to make it easier for everyone in the team set-up during the tough days, Vanitha said, “Auctions can be a bit lucky and tricky, but before that, just lay down what it is actually that you are looking at.” 

“Malolan has thrown a lot of light on how to pick a proper squad. You know, every time we sit there, he will make sure that he gets the best out of you by actually grilling you a lot.” 

“He will ask you to put out 3-4 best squads and, actually, when there are three best squads, there’s no chance that you will miss out on the best players and that’s exactly why you saw RCB going there, having the best team and winning the second season,” she added. 

Talking more about scouting as a process and how it is different from selection for a national team, the 32-year-old, who played six ODIs and 16 T20Is, said, “Scouting is a very different national selection in the sense that in the former, we look for players who can fulfil certain roles. For example, do we have players that can hit a 7-ball 16? Does she have a spark to light up the game from a dull situation? It is based on that.”

Vanitha also expressed solidarity with the captains of the side as they are the ones who face the barrage of questions from the fans and media and thus need to be given the cushion of players they want to perform their best.

“It’s important to give captains the cushion of the kind of players that they ask for because they have a plan and Rohit Sharma clearly showed that with two trophies in the T20 World Cup as well as the Champions Trophy,” she said.