Exploring the Fittest Women Cricketers in the Game

(Smriti Mandhana training on the field)

In the world of Women’s cricket, fitness has not just been about the hard-hitting shots or running fast around the field. It has been about the player's activeness in the game, along with the strength and stamina on the field. In this blog, we will be having a look at the fittest women cricketers, who are known for their performances and fitness in every match they play. These players are not just performing well on the field with their batting or bowling skills. They are also maintaining their diet, training hard, and working on their bodies to keep them in the best possible shape. There are several players who follow these but a few aspects set some women cricketers apart from the others. From their intense workouts to their dedication towards fitness, the secrets behind the success of these players would be unveiled.

1. Smriti Mandhana

The opening batsman for the India Women's cricket team and is widely regarded for her fitness. She spends most of her time in maintaining her diet, as she knows it is important for her to score runs with consistency. In her interview, Smriti Mandhana also revealed that her diet and fitness routine is the reason why she is able to stay active both on and off the field, which can be seen by her captaincy skills in the second WPL season, which helped RCB Women to secure the title.

(Smriti Mandhana lifting the weights at her training session)

She has put forward complete focus on her balanced diet, which ensures that she takes all the necessary vitamins and proteins along with being hydrated during the day. She also revealed that her diet is completely vegetarian, consisting of vegetable salads and other healthy vegetable dishes. Although her diet is completely vegetarian, she also consumes eggs and dairy products to ensure her vitamin and protein intake for the day is maintained.

2. Ellyse Perry

The devastating all-rounder for the Australia Women's team, Ellyse Perry, is also known for her fitness routine, which extends beyond the field. In an interview, she revealed that most of the time her day is spent across the field, with her practices, which has also been the reason behind her consistent performances over the past few months. She even said that she has never counted the hours of her diet and practices, as it seems like a full-time job to her.

(Ellyse Perry during her workout)

Her training consists of three parts; one is related to her skills, which are batting, bowling, and fielding, the second part is related to weight lifting and related stuff while the last part of her training is related to the tactical preparations which she does for the game. The RCB Women's team star has shared several moments related to her training sessions across the social media platforms.

3. Harmanpreet Kaur

Harmanpreet Kaur, the captain of the India Women's cricket team has also been known among the cricket fans for her fitness. She talked about her fitness routine in the Mann ki Baat with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Harmanpreet said that the main reason behind her fitness is a complete 7 hours of sleep and a full diet, which provides her with the required nutrients.

(Harmanpreet Kaur training on the pitch)

She also revealed that it took a lot of consistency and patience for her to develop, but once she was able to develop it, the results were visible to everyone and it also became a habit for her. Harmanpreet also said that Pearl Millets have been a part of her diet, telling the audience that it boosts the body's immunity while providing various other much-needed things to the human body.

4. Jemimah Rodrigues

Jemimah Rodrigues is regarded as one of the fittest female cricketers of all time, known for her passion for the game and fitness. She starts off her day at 6 AM with her training shoes on and goes up to the pitch. She also said that it is necessary for her to sleep and wake up on time, and to reach the pitch at the right time for the practices.

(Jemimah Rodrigues fitness photoshoot for a magazine)

This seemed hectic to her but after a few months, it had been a part of her daily routine, which contributed to her fitness. She trains her agility for the game with the short distance run training, which helps her to warm up and also start up the other training sessions. In the COVID period, Rodrigues spent hours with her dad for the batting practice, which was later carried on by the gym training sessions by her coach.

5. Amelia Kerr

Amelia Kerr, the highest individual run scorer for the Women's cricket in an ODI innings, has been among the fittest New Zealand Women's team players. Her fitness is not just physical but also mental, as Kerr is also a mental philanthropist along with being a cricketer. She said to the fans that besides the daily routine that she follows regarding her diet and training sessions, she also ensures that it doesn't affect her mentally.

(Amelia Kerr in the New Zealand vs West Indies series 2022)

Therefore, Amelia Kerr suggested to the fans that no matter what happens, it is necessary to take time for yourself to keep your body both physically and mentally fit. She said that when the matches take place in her home country, she can prepare for the match and also work up on her fitness but working on fitness has not been possible for her when she has to travel for the Away tours.

6. Alyssa Healy

The Australia Women's team wicket-keeper, Alyssa Healy, also comes under the category of the fittest female cricketer. Since Healy is a wicketkeeper, her main focus remains on yoga and stretching, which helps her to take dives in the game at the right time. Therefore, she is able to maintain her body fitness and stretchable body with the help of yoga fitness and regular training.

(Alyssa Healy with her husband Mitchell Starc at the Australian Cricket Awards)

She follows the high-intensity interval training, which takes up most of her training sessions across the game. A typical training day for Alyssa Healy consists of three to four sessions, in which she manages to train herself completely, with her batting and wicket-keeping skills too, along with specific rest periods.

7. Lea Tahuhu

Lea Tahuhu, the New Zealand Women's team cricketer is also regarded among the cricket enthusiasts for her fitness. Although she has been a parent also, Tahuhu is able to focus on her fitness routine without any issues, as she spends time on her bowling skills, which has improved her day by day and hence she has been the perfect player for the New Zealand team in the recent few matches.

(Lea Tahuhu against England Women in 2021)

Across the shorter formats of the game, Tahuhu has dominated while playing for the domestic team Canterbury and also while she played for Gujarat Giants in the Women's Premier League. Her pace has helped Tahuhu to be an economical bowler across the Women’s ODI and T20I format, having less than 7 economy in the T20I format. She has also taken two 4-wicket hauls in the Women’s T20I format and three 4-wicket hauls in the Women’s ODI format.