New Delhi, Nov 5 (IANS) Former India cricketer Veda Krishnamurthy believes Shweta Sehrawat’s switch from UP Warriorz to Mumbai Indians ahead of the upcoming Women’s Premier League (WPL) season could provide the young batter with an opportunity to rediscover her natural game, saying the expectations and frequent changes in responsibilities at her previous franchise placed undue pressure on her development.

Shweta, who entered the inaugural WPL season on the back of India’s Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup triumph, was initially expected to make an impact after being picked by UP Warriorz. However, her stint with the franchise saw her being deployed in different batting positions and eventually handed wicketkeeping responsibilities, something Veda believes complicated her progress.

“I am really happy about Shweta Sehrawat joining Mumbai Indians because it’s a team that will give her the freedom to play her natural game. In her previous team, the responsibility of scoring runs was entirely on her shoulders, and the batters around her were not contributing much, which put more pressure on Shweta and affected her game. Now that she’s with Mumbai, she will get the chance to learn from the best and develop properly as a youngster,” Veda told JioStar.

Veda felt that Shweta’s early achievements had raised expectations considerably, leaving little room for the youngster to settle into her role and develop at her own pace.

The former India international also questioned the decision to repeatedly alter Shweta’s responsibilities, pointing out that her primary strength as a batter lies at the top of the order rather than in the finishing role.

“Shweta has been on the receiving end of criticism over the last few years. A lot was expected of her. She came into the first season of the WPL as a U19 World Cup winner and the top scorer for the Indian side and was picked by UP Warriorz. She was tried in different positions in the batting order there. She is technically an opener, and UP management used her as a finisher. Then she was made a wicketkeeper overnight and expected to do magic. I felt that was too much to ask of a youngster,” she added.

At Mumbai Indians, Shweta will have the opportunity to work alongside several established international players, including Harmanpreet Kaur, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Hayley Matthews and Amelia Kerr.

--IANS

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