'I want to become like MS Dhoni': Pakistan women's team captain

Pakistan women’s cricket team captain Fatima Sana says she is taking inspiraiton from former India skipper MS Dhoni’s leadership book as she prepares to lead her side into the ODI World Cup later this month. The tournament, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, begins on September 30. Pakistan will play all their matches in Sri Lanka, starting their campaign against Bangladesh in Colombo on October 2. Sana admitted that the pressure of captaining at such a stage is natural but said she looks to Dhoni as her role model. “It is natural to be a little nervous initially when captaining in a big tournament like the World Cup, but I take inspiration from Mahendra Singh Dhoni as a captain,” she told PTI. She explained how Dhoni’s approach influences her. “I have seen his matches as India and CSK captain. His on-field decision-making, calmness and the way he backs his players, there is a lot to learn from that. When I got the captaincy, I thought that I have to become like Dhoni. I also watched his interviews and got to learn a lot,” she said. Pakistan have featured in five previous editions of the Women’s ODI World Cup but victories have been difficult to come by. Sana believes the tide will turn. “This time, the jinx will definitely be broken because the young players know how important this tournament is for Pakistan women’s cricket. We will not think about the past. My goal is to take the team to the semifinals,” she said. The all-rounder, who has 397 runs and 45 wickets in 34 ODIs, is counting on her bowlers to deliver. “We have top-class bowlers in the team and spinners will be our trump card. We will depend more on bowling than batting but in the last one year, we have worked a lot on batting and we will get results,” she added. With preparations ongoing in Lahore and a series against South Africa lined up before the tournament, Sana is confident her team will arrive in Sri Lanka firing on all cylinders. “The team is in good rhythm and after the good performance in the qualifiers, everyone’s morale is high,” she said.