(Originally published on June 22, 2016 on the Wisden India website). It’s one thing to read about players’ insecurities and listen to their stories, but it’s quite another to actually see their struggles, however briefly, in person. I met Mignon du Preez once. For precisely 22 minutes. Despite South Africa’s disappointing campaign in the ICC Women’s World Twenty20 2016, she was smiling, upbeat and more than willing to have a chat. Never in my wildest dreams did I think meeting her would have a big impact on me. After all, since when have medium pacers idolised batters? It’s funny how, sometimes, the shortest interactions can have the deepest effects on people. For me, that moment came on March 29, 2016 at around 4pm at a hotel in Bangalore. I was there to interview du Preez, the then South African captain, a day after her team’s last league match against Sri Lanka Women in the tournament. It was one of my first interviews as a journalist with an international c