Balangir, Aug. 21: For Roshanara Parveen, this Id has been special. When news of her selection for the Indian team for the forthcoming Twenty20 Women’s World Cup in Sri Lanka came in, the 20-year-old girl said she was “surprised but extremely happy”.
“It is every cricketer’s dream to play for the country some day. I have been working very hard to earn a place in the national side. I am grateful to the selectors for reposing faith in my abilities and I will do my best to live up to their expectations,” said Roshanara, visibly excited as she spoke about her feat.
A right arm off-spinner, Roshanara is the second woman cricketer from the state after Madhuri Mehta — also from Balangir — to represent India.
The local girl will be seen in action in the T-20 World Cup that starts from September 26.
Her proud parents, Kaifatullah Khan and Hosnara Begum, said their daughter had always taken great interest in sports, ever since she was an active little schoolgirl. She even wanted to enrol in a sports hostel, but her father did not agree.
Her chance came when an enthusiastic group of cricket lovers in the town formed a women’s cricket team in 2007.
“Roshanara jumped at the prospect of playing with them and we told her that we would support her in every possible manner. Her hard work and dedication has finally paid off. She has made us very proud and the fact that we got the news of her selection on Eid proves that Allah is looking out for her,” said Khan.
Roshanara credited her success to her coach Arun Nayak and the Odisha Cricket Association (OCA) authorities. Nayak said: “I have been observing her for the past five years, ever since the women’s cricket team was formed here. I have always been optimistic that she would play for the country one day. She deserves to be in the team.”
With just a month to go for the big-ticket tournament now, she has started preparations to prove her mettle. “I will work on bringing some variation into my bowling. I won’t stick to just orthodox spin. Sri Lankan grounds are known to be spinner-friendly and I will try to use this to my advantage,” said the vivacious girl, who idolises Kiwi spinner and cricket poster boy Daniel Vettori.
