 "Alyssa Healy")
Alyssa Healy, the newly appointed captain of the Australian women's cricket team, was shocked to hear the sum of money bid to acquire his husband and Australian men's cricket team bowler Mitchell Starc at the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 auctions on December 19, 2023.
Talking to Jio Cinemas, Healy, who is leading the Aussie women on their tour of India, said that she was working out in the gym and preparing for the only Test against India at the Wankhede Stadium when the news of Starc's bid reached her.
"Initially, it was a shock and amazement that such a bid could happen. It's a crazy amount of money," said Healy. She further went on to explain how the bid is more than just about money for Starc, who will be playing the IPL for the first time in eight years.
"From his (Mitchell Starc's) point of view, it's an opportunity to get back and experience the IPL. It's an exciting opportunity to experience a new team and new franchise and play a significant role for them," said the 33-year-old.
Healy on cultural difference between Indian and Australian cricket
Healy, who has played more than 250 international matches, represented UP Warriorz in the inaugural Women's Premier League (WPL). She experienced Indian cricket and cricketers from close quarters over there. Detailing her experience, Healy said that there is a lot of difference in how cricket and cricketers are perceived in both countries.
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"I've got a new appreciation for the boys and girls who play cricket in India," Healy said. She further went on to say that sitting in the same room as someone like Deepti Sharma and seeing how she goes about things was an eye-opening experience.
Differentiating between how the sport is perceived in both countries, Healy said, "In Australia, we love sport. We are not overtly fanatical about any one sport. We just love our athletes. Over here, certain cricketers are celebrities and the Harmanpreet Kaurs and the Smriti Mandhanas are on the billboard."
Healy on how to tackle captaincy pressure
For Healy, who comes from a cricketing family where his uncle Ian Healy played more than 100 Tests and ODIs for the Australian team, leadership might not be a big challenge. However, she feels that she has big boots of Meg Lanning to fill.
"We know how successful Meg was as a player and also as a captain of the Australian team. It's not lost on me that there are some really big shoes to fill," she said.
Healy, who has scored 5738 runs in 256 matches in all three formats combined, said that from her 'perspective', captaincy presents an opportunity to take the team into the next generation and the next version of the legacy that the youngsters want to create for the Southern Stars.
