Seam-bowling all-rounder Pooja Vastrakar, currently representing Barbados Tridents in the Women's Caribbean Premier League (WCPL), says the Caribbean stint has given her far more than cricketing skills — it has reinforced a 'live in the moment' philosophy she developed during a gruelling nine-month rehabilitation from a shoulder surgery that followed the 2024 Women's T20 World Cup. Speaking in a select virtual interaction organised by FanCode, the official WCPL broadcaster in India, Pooja opened up about injuries, loneliness, franchise loyalty, and a new way of approaching the game.

What the Caribbean Has Taught Her

Before the conversation began, former India cricketer Shikha Pandey asked Pooja what the WCPL experience had offered her so far. The reply was telling: it had nothing to do with bowling variations or match tactics. 'I learnt to enjoy everything from Qiana Joseph, because we Indians do a lot of overthinking when it comes to our games and other small things. Here in the Caribbean, I'm learning a lot. They enjoy their present moment and small things. So, I'm sure it'll be great if I go back to India,' she said.

This outlook, Pooja explained, is the direct product of long, solitary hours at the Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru, where she spent months recovering from surgery on a torn supraspinatus tendon in her shoulder — her third major operation after a right-knee ACL reconstruction in 2017 and a left-knee surgery in 2018.

Navigating Loneliness and Learning During Rehab

The rehabilitation period was, by Pooja's own account, among the hardest stretches of her career — not physically, but mentally. 'There's a lot to learn because you spend a lot of time alone while in CoE, Bengaluru and you don't want to go back to your old life because cricket is a team sport and we always do training or sessions with the team,' she said.

'But when you go to the rehab, the feeling of loneliness is very strong, and it eats you up from the inside. At the same time, it teaches you a lot and makes you stronger. You build a lot of knowledge — you learn about your body, training, physiotherapy and load management.'

The experience has since made her an informal go-to resource for teammates dealing with niggles. 'A lot of players don't even call their physios — instead, they call me and say, 'I've had an injury. What should I do?' In CoE, the physios said that I have enough knowledge to deal with small injuries by myself,' she said.

RCB's Faith and the Biomechanics Conversation

A hamstring setback during the final stages of her return delayed her further, but Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) — who picked her during the rehab phase itself — remained steadfast. Pooja joined the team in the closing stages of the Women's Premier League (WPL) in Vadodara, contributing primarily as a specialist batter as RCB went on to win the title.

'They showed so much faith that if Pooja gets fit, she can do batting, bowling or fielding for us in any department. But getting confidence from a franchise is the biggest thing,' she said. She also credited RCB assistant coach Anya Shrubsole for sharpening her match-planning instincts — identifying a Plan A, Plan B, and Plan C for every delivery scenario.

Pooja also addressed a subject that is rarely discussed publicly in Indian cricket: the misreading of biomechanical changes post-surgery. 'They compare the previous Pooja with the current Pooja. If someone is limping, it is very easy to judge in India that she is limping because she is injured. But she is not injured, as she is playing, and has got a certificate. Biomechanical changes will be there all the time in life. How the player manages to play is down to her talent,' she said.

She added that captain Smriti Mandhana, the RCB coaching staff, and her close friends and family also provided crucial support throughout her comeback.

Bowling Action Intact, Process Over Results

Despite three surgeries, Pooja says her bowling action has remained untouched — something she acknowledged with a 'touchwood.' The only adjustment has been a longer warm-up at the start of sessions as her body readjusts to load. 'Initially, you will feel pain for 2-3 days. But later on, you will feel that it is normal and the same is said by physios. You are not used to the load, but then you like it,' she explained.

Back in domestic cricket, she captained Chambal Ghariyals to the title in the MP T20 League, deliberately restraining herself from bowling to give younger squad members more game time. She also noted that the standard of age-group coaching in India has improved considerably, with coaches now grooming youngsters as all-rounders.

It is approaching two years since Pooja last wore the India jersey, but she says she is not anxious about it. 'I want to live in the present and be in that moment. If I get two wickets, it is fine. If not, it is still fine. I should follow the process — we become result-oriented a lot and forget the process,' she said. For Pooja Vastrakar, the comeback is not a race against a timeline; it is the process itself.