Ahead of the first ODI against India, Australian skipper Alyssa Healy shed light on her approach as a captain, saying that it is not about ego or dictatorship but rather encouraging the next generation of leaders from the group to have a voice.
The first ODI of the three-match series between India and Australia will take place in Mumbai on Thursday.
Healy took over the captaincy from multi-time World Cup winner Meg Lanning, who shockingly announced her retirement from international cricket in November.
This comes after Australia lost the one-off Test to India by eight wickets.
“There is no ego in me being captain. It’s not a dictatorship. I am not here to tell anybody how to play. It’s more about encouraging the next generation of leaders within our group, and we have got some amazing senior players who are captaining domestic teams. We have got the next generation of superstars coming through, closing that gap and ensuring that they can lead themselves and drive the way they want to play the game. I am encouraging everyone to have their voice. That is important to make this team successful for the next 10-15 years,” said Healy to JioCinema. On taking over from Lanning as captain, Healy said that they are huge shoes to fill. “It is a huge shoe to fill. We know how successful Meg was as a player and also as a captain of the Australian team. It is not lost on me that there are some really big shoes to fill. From my perspective, it is a nice opportunity to see how I would go and take the team into the next generation and the next version of the legacy that they want to create. It is really exciting to get the role full-time. I have been filling in for the last twelve months,” said Healy.