“Looking forward to beating at least one Test-playing nation”: UAE skipper Esha Oza ahead of Women’s Asia Cup
United Arab Emirates (UAE) Women’s skipper Esha Oza’s journey has been one of steady growth and determination. Now, under the leadership of such an inspirational leader, UAE are all set to lock horns with Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Indonesia in Group B of the upcoming Women’s Asia Cup in Dubai.
The UAE will look to use the home conditions to their advantage. Ahead of the tournament, in an exclusive chat with RevSportz, Esha opened up about the expectations from the tournament, the possible challenges, her batting approach, home advantage and much more.
Speaking about her expectations, Esha sounded quite realistic, as she is aiming for a semi-final berth while acknowledging the challenges of facing Test-playing nations like Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
“So, as a team, I think our expectations would be to at least make it to the semi-finals of this tournament. We are looking forward to playing against Test-playing sides again. And looking forward to beating at least one Test-playing nation in this tournament.”
“I think Sri Lanka, Bangladesh will be a good challenge first and then Indonesia. Two wins in the group stage takes us to the semi-finals of this tournament and that’s what we’re preparing for as a team. We’ve been going through videos, working hard on our own skills. And, we’re hoping that we can put things in place at the tournament and have a really good time this time around.”
Talking about the challenges, she clearly termed their group as a tough one while looking forward to facing Bangladesh, whom they have not played at the international level in a while.
“But again, a new challenge. In the last two Asia Cups, we’ve been in the group with India and I think Pakistan. But this time around, we’re going to play Bangladesh as well. I think we haven’t played Bangladesh in a while.”
“So again, it’s going to be a new experience for the entire team. And again, I think for both teams, we’re playing each other after a very long time in international cricket. So that’d be a good challenge. I think it’s a tough group. But again, we’ve worked hard, we’ve put in the effort and we’re looking to come out on top.”
With the opportunity to play the tournament in Dubai, their home conditions, Esha hopes to use that to their advantage.
“I think it’s definitely somewhat an advantage getting home conditions. I think given the Dubai heat as well, We’re much more used to it now compared to those who will be traveling and coming to Dubai. And, we’ve gotten a bit of time on those wickets as well. So, hopefully, we can use that to our advantage in this tournament.”
Meanwhile, the 28-year-old Esha is a prolific batter in Women’s T20Is, having the most number of centuries (5) to her name in the history of the format. With 3,403 runs in 115 T20I innings so far, she is also the 10th-highest run-scorer in the format overall.
Sharing her approach as a batter and the secret behind smashing so many centuries in the shortest format of the game, Esha mentioned how she always looks to keep things simple while batting. The UAE skipper has clarity over the way she wants to play her cricket, but also mentioned the areas that she is looking to improve further.
“For me, as a batter, I try to keep everything pretty simple. I have a set plan in mind. I know how I want to play my cricket. It’s about waiting for the ball to come into my zone and then I can go on the charge. But until then, it’s about working the ball around, just trying to hit pockets, hit gaps. I’ve been working a lot on my strike rotation and finding new areas to score in as well.”
“And, I think that’s what T20 cricket is. It’s about maximising the boundary-scoring options. And then, just minimising dot balls, working on your strike rotation and stuff. So that’s something I’ve been really putting effort on to improve on. And, that’s how I try to prepare myself for T20s.”
Talking about her inspirations, she mentioned New Zealand great Sophie Devine, whom she has always looked up to as a player. She also spoke about former UAE Women’s head coach Ahmed Raza, from whom she learned leadership traits. Ahmed himself was a former captain of the UAE Men’s team before taking charge of the Women’s team as head coach in 2023.
“As a player, I really looked up to Sophie Devine. I really loved how she played the game, how attacking and fearless she is as a cricketer. And, as a leader, I think I’ve learned a lot from Coach Ahmed. I think he was a leader himself. And, I’ve picked up a lot about how to lead a team from him.”
Lastly, Esha spoke about the recent growth of Women’s cricket in the UAE. She mentioned how big a boost the Women’s T20 World Cup in 2024 has been for the game in the country, while also highlighting the success at the U19 level.
“I think UAE Women’s cricket has shown a great trajectory towards growth in recent years. The Women’s T20 World Cup that happened here in 2024, that showed one big tournament can turn around the women’s game in this region in a massive way.”
“I think the number of girls picking up a bat and ball, I think it’s increased massively over the past couple of years. And now with the Asia Cup coming home, I think it’s only going to grow from there. I think the U19s qualified for the T20 World Cup and the U19 Asia Cup, I think that’s a massive achievement.”
“They’ve put in so much hard work over the years. They’ve dedicated so much time to this game and they’re getting rewarded for that. So seeing so many young talents emerge from the U19 age group; we have quite a few in our squad for this Asia Cup as well.”
“So that means the pathway is set and players are getting picked through that. And I mean, it’s a massive opportunity for young girls to come watch their idols live. I think with so many Asian region giants playing here live in front of them, they’re going to have a great experience. And hopefully, this will encourage many more to pick up a bat and ball in the coming days.”
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