Kiran Navgire's mayhem with the bat - an expected outcome of fine-tuning behind the scenes

"I watch a lot of action movies and listen to a lot of romantic songs."

That's a very interesting combination, Kiran Navgire. These were her own words prior to the start of the ongoing WPL 2024 when Sportskeeda caught up with her for an exclusive conversation.

Action movies are generally a thrill-a-minute recipe with a good blend of madness to go with it. Navgire's batting - a classic example of see the ball and dismiss it from your presence if it's there to be hit - is a thrill-a-minute. Box office.

Romantic melodies can be considered the exact opposite. They tend to calm the and send one into a state of bliss. Ahead of the season, Navgire stated that she has worked on the temperamental aspect of her batting and while 48 of her 57 runs against Mumbai Indians came in the form of fours and sixes, her relaxed approach to the chase and shrewd shot selection were signs of a composed batter who was aware of what she was doing.

Having batted at No. 6 in UP Warriorz' first two matches of WPL 2024, Navgire was shored up to open the batting on Wednesday on the back of Vrinda Dinesh suffering a nasty shoulder injury on the field.

By the time she received her Player of the Match award, she expressed her happiness when she was told that she would be opening. No surprise that it showed in her no holds barred approach as the spinners and a rusty Issy Wong were put to the sword.

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The method to Kiran Navgire's power-hitting madness

There are bound to be smiles for Kiran Navgire after a performance like what she put up against MI (Picture Credits: UP Warriorz).

A brutal display of ball-striking is no surprise to anyone who has followed Navgire's career path. Particularly against spin - a style of bowling she always fancies.

"I’ve always enjoyed playing the spinners. I am improving my game in that regard by increasing my hitting areas. Where can I hit the ball, which spinners will be bowling...I got ideas from last season," Navgire told Sportskeeda prior to the season.

She duly walked the talk in that regard against Mumbai. A flurry of boundaries against the spinners showcased her full range. It wasn't just filled with slogs and pulls over mid-wicket but a still balance and lofts through the line of the ball were clear signs of a batter with a more refined range of shots.

Having been used as a finisher in the recent domestic season, the role has given Navgire greater perspective on adapting to different situations.

"I am a hitter. I just needed to work on the mental aspect of my game. Because if you want to finish games, situations are different, you have to understand them. If you want more runs in fewer balls, you have to go out and start hitting immediately. How to do all these things and how to execute them is what I worked on and I executed that in the (domestic) matches," she said.

It's fair to say that understanding different scenarios aided her cause as an opener as well on Wednesday. With a full 20 overs in front of her and a target of 162 to get with potentially one fewer batter in the Warriorz' ranks, Navgire was clear with her intent to put the bowlers under early pressure and kill the chase.

She also credited the off-season camp with the Warriorz last year in playing a huge role in developing her game.

"It benefited me a lot. I improved my fielding after that and also my batting. I think it (the camp) has made a big difference in these aspects. Mental preparation, physical preparation, how to handle and understand different situations - all these things helped me a lot," she said.

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Coping with expectations, the Kiran Navgire way

Ever since she made the switch from Maharashtra to Nagaland, Navgire has made heads turn with her raw power and ability to win matches single-handedly. A breakout domestic season in 2022 earned her a call-up to the Velocity squad for the Women's T20 Challenge the same year.

A 34-ball 69 against the Trailblazers reiterated the notion that India had a serious spin-basher in their ranks. The knock came against an attack that read Bangladesh's Salma Khatun, Poonam Yadav, Hayley Matthews and Navgire's current WPL teammate Rajeshwari Gayakwad. Oh, and a seam duo of Renuka Singh Thakur and Arundhati Reddy.

The final against the Supernovas though saw her struggle against Deandra Dottin, who bombarded her by pounding the ball into the hard length area. A 13-ball duck and worries about her game against pace followed.

While spin clearly remains her strength, the manner in which she tackled Issy Wong on Wednesday would have encouraged her and the Warriorz to bits. Of course, it is important to mention that Wong got her lengths wrong having erred either too full or too short and perhaps, time will paint a better picture as far as her game against pace is concerned.

Notwithstanding that, however, there is reason to believe that she is on the right track. For someone who showcased incredible smarts in picking her spots than just slogging with brute force, it is a reflection of the work she has been putting in behind the scenes.

With that of course, comes greater hope amongst conjecture that she will be a serious force in national colors. How does she cope with the pressure of those expectations then?

"I don't think much about that. I always think that whatever matches I play, I should try to finish those games. I can do better in the future. The more matches I finish, the more experience I will have. The more experience I have, the more it'll help me when I play for India. But I am not thinking much about the future," she says.

Her constant reiteration on wanting to finish games was a standout in this conversation. After an innings that turned Alyssa Healy into playing second fiddle from the best seat in the house though, there's reason to believe that Navgire will get an extended run at the top of the order for the Warriorz for the rest of WPL 2024.

Of course, there's no reason why she cannot finish what she starts in this role either, in turn catapulting her charge towards a national recall. Even if that isn't on her mind, for she switches off completely off the field.

"I don't think much about cricket when the matches are done. I spend more time watching movies and listening to songs, I roam outside. I don't think much about off the field cricket. I focus more on hard work. If we work hard and smart, the results will be good. Why think much about it? When will you enjoy the rest of your life in front of you? I spend more time on that," she said.

That clarity in segregating her priorities on and off the field has turned Navgire into a wiser cricketer. Couple that with what she brings to the table as a game changer and all those shouts for her to don the India colors regularly hold merit.

For now though, the mandate is simple for Navgire - action movies off the field and equally breathtaking batting on the field as she seeks to slay bowlers in her path.

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