The Sajana Sajeevan story: WPL trials, sharing dressing room with idol Harmanpreet and that last-ball six

Let’s go back in time to roughly a month ago. February 23. It’s the first match of the second edition of the Women’s Premier League. Chasing 172 for victory against Delhi Capitals, Mumbai Indians needs 12 runs to win off the last over. Alice Capsey removes Pooja Vastrakar and Harmanpreet Kaur in the span of five deliveries. MI needs five runs off the last ball. In walks debutant Sajeevan Sajana. Capsey fires one into the slot, and Sajana comes down the track to heave it over the long on fence for six. Sajana screams in delight. DC skipper Meg Lanning can’t help but shake her head, a little disappointed, but a little in awe.

A talent had arrived and what a way to announce yourself on one of the biggest stages in the game!

Starting with a bang

India and players who hit last-ball sixes have a very special relationship. And this one, 29-year-old Sajana, is a special player. Her memorable finish was a product of months of planning and a lot of faith.

“After I joined the MI camp, Charlotte (Edwards), Kiran (More) and Jhulan (Goswami) told me that in this setup, I am a batter,” Sajana told Sportstar. “In training, they told me to keep in mind that I might not get more than 10 balls when I went out to bat. Less balls, more runs – this was the duty given to me.”

“In my very first match, forget 10 balls, I got just one. My nerves were all over the place,” Sajana chuckled, with her hand calming her beating heart as she relived the emotions of that night.

“I did not have any other option. I had to hit. Devieka Palshikaar ma’am (MI batting coach) would say, ‘don’t watch the bowler, watch the ball.’ See ball, hit ball is all I needed to do.”

“Everyone knew I was capable of hitting sixes, but they didn’t know if I could execute. The commentators were also talking about me being a debutant… that I didn’t have experience. I knew how big this opportunity was and that I might not get a platform like this again. I knew whatever the ball was, I could hit it. I had that faith. That the team won because of me…. I had the guts and so I could make it happen,” Sajana beamed.

Multi-sport upbringing

Sajana’s move to cricket came quite late. In school, she dabbled in athletics, kho kho, javelin and shot put among other sports.

“I’d do everything but study,” she sheepishly said.

“My P.E teacher, Elsamma Baby suggested that I should take up cricket after I became an individual champion in the sport in my district. I had been playing gully cricket with the boys for so long. I then moved to the district level.”

“We’d get a daily allowance of Rs. 150. It was a big amount for me. When I started saving, 150 would become 300, 500 and so on. At that time, I thought that if I continued playing, I could handle my playing expenses too without troubling my parents. Financially, it proved to be very helpful and because I was earning and saving, my decision to stay with cricket only strengthened.”

Sajana’s parents, Sajeevan and Sarada, enrolled their daughter in a government residential school when she was in class six. Spending formative years, when one should be in one’s parents’ care, taking decisions for yourself makes you extremely independent.

“There was never a case of ‘Can I go?’. It was always ‘I am going.’ And they could blame me if things went wrong because I was doing it on my own terms. They were confident in what I was doing and knew I wouldn’t go astray. They knew that I knew my limits. That faith in me has helped me get so far in life.”

Sajana cheekily admitted that the monetary incentives helped in manipulating her parents to warm up to her career in cricket.

Her journey in the game wasn’t always a bed of roses. However, she always managed to find a way to cross adversities with a generous dose of drama and a big smile.

“I went to Thiruvananthapuram for a state trial and got rejected on my first attempt because I didn’t have enough experience. In the second trial I gave, I got picked as the first reserve. Eventually, a senior player in the state team had to be ruled out and I got an opportunity to take her place. The money I got there, that earning was very special as it helped me afford a new bat, pads, gloves and kit. It was very emotional.”

“I then got to play for Kerala in Hyderabad. Again, one run was needed off the last ball. I hit a boundary, Kerala won. That was my mass entry! From the 2013 season, I have been a steady part of the Kerala team and also took up captaincy.”

When the sorting hat listened

“I gave trials for all five WPL teams… I might be the only player to do that,” Sajana remembered. She recalled walking into the MI setup knowing no one besides Jhulan Goswami, who she has faced in domestic cricket. ‘Daunting’ doesn’t quite cut how scary it was for her.

“I was able to show my skills right from day one and got a lot of encouragement and praise from Charlotte (Edwards) and (Kiran) More sir.”

“After the trials, I returned to the domestic scene, and in my first match back against Baroda, I scored a century. More sir called me immediately and Charlotte ma’am sent me a congratulations text on Instagram. That such legends were reaching out to me was, by itself, a big deal. I then went for the second camp for MI. By then, the staff knew what I was capable of and our dealings were smoother. They began moulding me as a finisher. At that stage, we still didn’t know if I’d end up here. They gave equal opportunities to everyone who came for trials and that really set this franchise apart,” she reminisced.

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Sajana was not intimidated by the prospect of playing with the biggest names in the sport. She was worried that she might not get a chance to do so yet again, after not finding takers in the league’s first edition. So she ended up not watching the auction.

“When I found out I had been selected, manasilu laddu potti’ (I was incredibly happy),” she exclaimed.

Joining Harry chechi

Another motivation in working hard to break into MI was the prospect of sharing a dressing room with her idol Harmanpreet Kaur.

“I remember watching that 171 (vs Australia in the 2017 Women’s ODI World Cup semifinal in Derby). Getting to watch that kind of gear change again (in the 48-ball 95 against Gujarat Giants)… Bayangaramaya oru feel aanu adhu (it was an incredible feeling),” she gushed.

Sajana wears her emotions on her sleeve. Anytime she talks about something she feels passionately about, her hand makes its way to her chest as she declares just how deep her feelings go. Talking about Harmanpreet went no differently.

“I have never had a personal conversation with Harry di. I have practised in front of the mirror so many times, polished my English and rehearsed what I want to say over and over again. I look in the mirror and practise what sounds right. I prepare and go, but when I get in front of her, my mind goes completely blank,” Sajana revealed.

“I’d love to speak to her about how to handle crunch situations, especially as captain. In a sense, I don’t have to ask her… I get to see her do it day in and day out. One can just see and learn. I want to ask her about mental toughness. If you look at her career, there are games where she has scored and where she hasn’t. When one doesn’t score, there are people who will say all kinds of things. During that phase, how she has handled herself is also one thing I wanted to talk to her about. When we perform, there’ll be a lot of people around you. But in bad times, one often has to handle things alone. How she deals with that is also another thing I wanted to know,” Sajana explained.

She has dealt with naysayers herself, especially being someone who is nearly 30 and still looking for an India break.

“After playing for Kerala, when there was a time I didn’t get South Zone or Challenger call-ups, a lot of people asked me why I wasn’t playing or why I didn’t score. People in the ecosystem would say age is a factor and that time is running out for me to do something solid. They’d say, ‘why don’t you look for other opportunities?’ One or two people saying this is fine. But when many people keep saying the same thing, it builds a lot of self doubt in you. Two years… scores aren’t great, no progress is happening… you’ll begin to lose faith in yourself. Life has never been predictable. Whatever happens, we need to believe in our process and just keep moving forward,” she said.

It’s that faith in the process that keeps Sajana going, with just one thing on her mind — an India cap — and she will let no one and nothing, particularly her age, come in the way.

“If a 35-year-old Shabnim Ismail can bowl those scorchers, what is a better example? Can any of these naysayers do that? If these chechis (Shabnim, Harmanpreet) can play like this, I have no reason to back down.”

“If we show our talent here, selectors can’t ignore us. Look at the IPL. All I wanted to do is show who I am on this platform. The consequence is not in my hands. Cricket will continue in my life. If not this year, there’s still the next. I will keep at it.”