Rodrigues: 'Energy in the field transformed DC's season'

Two games into WPL 2025, Delhi Capitals "did not feel like a DC team." They'd just been bossed by Royal Challengers Bengaluru to offset a tight opening win against Mumbai Indians. The energy was lacking, the "spirit" went missing. Vice-captain Jemimah Rodrigues reflects on that moment in Vadodara - where they discussed this at a team meeting - as one that turned it around as they sit on the cusp of a title win.

The lift-off wasn't instant. It took them until the sixth game of their season, against Mumbai Indians, to turn it around. And they have, by finishing top of the table to take a straight path into their third final, where they're hoping to be a third-time lucky, when they take on Harmanpreet Kaur's Mumbai in a repeat of the 2023 final on Saturday.

"The one thing we spoke about was bringing our own energy on the field," Rodrigues remembers of that team meeting in Bengaluru. "I remember that moment [the transformation] when it happened. It started in Bangalore, when in one game I suddenly took that catch. But before that, everyone who was diving around in the field, everyone. And it started the feel again like, 'okay, this is the DC team.'

"And it started just before walking in. When that happened, Minnu [Mani] dived and took a catch. We got a wicket, and things started to happen. And our bowlers looked like they were back again because of the feeling support too. I think it was against MI, that's when that momentum came back."

It's been a week since the Capitals last played, and two weeks since they won. Unlike Mumbai, the Capitals haven't played a game at the Brabourne Stadium leading into the final. They may have had to play the Eliminator had RCB not beaten MI in the final league game.

The straight path into the final has given them time to train in conditions they haven't been able to play in yet. There's been staggered training broken down into short-sharp sessions. Beyond that, the team has bonded over endless coffee sessions, karaoke nights by the sea, hop-ins around Colaba, shopping and much more. On Friday morning, the entire squad got together in the lawns of their hotel to celebrate Holi.

"The gap is actually working for our team," Rodrigues says. "We've had a lot of team bonding sessions and at the same time, you know, this WPL was a bit hectic for us. We did play back-to-back games, we travelled. So, I think getting this break has honestly been good, we are working it to our advantage.

"We've had good practice sessions here in the Mumbai to get used to the pitch. I think sometimes it's nice to have this break and yes, we're ready for the final. We've prepared well and unlike the other two years, this year has not been like the smoothest sailing for us. But this team just doesn't know how to give up and we are going to come back stronger this year."

"I think not talking about three seasons and three finals," Rodrigues says with a chuckle. "No, I think this team, you asked what helps the team be so consistent: I think it's just about knowing what they're doing. Every player adds so much value. They just know what they can do to help this team win. Out of all the three seasons, I'm most proud of this year for this team because it wasn't easy. But we found a way to pick ourselves up and still come out on top and be consistent while still being the DC team everyone knows about."

There have been several personal triumphs during the campaign. Like Shafali Verma, who came into the season with plenty to prove. Having lost her place in the national team, a hurting Shafali couldn't initially even reveal to her father she'd been dropped as he had suffered a heart attack. She went back to the domestic grind, performed and came into the season on the weight of performances.

Shafali's 300 runs in eight innings at a strike rate of 157.89 is the highest for a DC batter, as well as the highest by an Indian batter so far this season. In fact, she's the only Indian in the top five. Her impact hasn't just been with the bat, but has been seen on the field as well - much of it down to a transformed fitness.

"Shafali is such an inspiration. Not because she has come back but the way she has come back," Rodrigues says. "The kind of strike rate, the kind of impact she's been having for that team, I think it just shows her character. A lot of times when things are going well, it's easy to keep doing well and keep doing what you're doing. But to be dropped and to come back the way she did, hats off to her. I can't wait to see her and I'm sure she'll be back soon to be in the [Indian] team too."

Then there's Shikha Pandey, another consistent performer who has continued to push boundaries at 36. Having not played for the national team for over two years, Pandey has used the time to sharpen her skillsets as a lower-order hitter - which was seen during her stint with Canterbury in New Zealand's Super Smash earlier in the year.

She continues to be a swing machine with the new ball, along with some superb slower variations in the death overs. Her 11 wickets at an economy of 7.06 is the second-best among Indians who have at least 10 wickets in the competition.

"Honestly, I can say there's no difference in a good way because she's always been consistent for us," Rodrigues says. "She's always bowled those crucial overs, always nailed down with her yorkers, always been so crucial in DC winning and not just DC.

"I've played with her in other franchises too [most-notably in the CPL with Trinbago Knight Riders]. She wants the tough overs. I think when the going gets tough, that's when Shikha Pandey comes in and it gets the best out of her. And that's what sets her apart and she's always been that person.

"And to talk about the work she's put in, she's someone who's worked so hard to do what she's doing. Even now, like even after being so accurate, knowing what she's doing, she's someone who's like so particular in her routine, so particular in maybe writing her diary, so particular in hitting the gym and then so particular in even now, which area she can improve. She's always looking to improve, working on her batting, learning new shots. So, I think that's Shikha Pandey for you. She's someone who can't stop working hard."

Then there's Meg Lanning, long retired from international cricket but has overcome the challenges of playing for only a number of months in a year. It's required her to train longer and work that much harder than while she was an active international leading Australia to one world title after another.

"She's calm but aggressive at the same time," Rodrigues says. "And I think as a leader that's a very, very crucial quality to have. And I'd asked her in one of the games we had played last year when it went down to the wire, when we beat RCB by one run. I'd asked her, 'Meg, weren't you nervous? You couldn't see it on your face. You were like, absolutely poker faced.' And She was like, 'Jemi, only if you knew was happening inside.'

"But then she said one thing I really remember. She's like, for me as a leader as a captain, it's very important that I make sure I set the tone for the team, and I stay calm. Because I know everyone's looking at me and if I am calm, I know the team is calm. And that made a lot of sense to me. And I think that is one thing that I would love to do every time I am on the field. To be aggressive and at the same time stay calm."

It's this calmness that Rodrigues says has percolated to the rest of the group, while also not losing sight of their goals of playing cricket with an intensity they would like to exhibit. And this again comes from having watched a serial match-winner imbibe those virtues of being able to close out games under pressure and bring that killer-instinct when needed.

"I think Meg is someone who wants to win every game," Rodrigues says. "But at the same time, the amount of clarity she has in what she's looking for, yes, winning is one thing she always tells us, but she always tells us to focus on what we need to do. Even when we have meetings, it's very clear from her as to what she expects from the bowlers or the batters and how we need to go about and go for it.

"She is someone who herself drives that kind of energy in the team, of playing a certain way and playing to win and taking the positive approach always. There are so many aspects to it. I can't point to one aspect, but the clarity that she has in what she wants to do and what she wants this team to do - it's amazing. And just making sure she takes everyone along in doing that thing, I think that helps us be a successful team."