Balangir, Aug. 7: Two young girls from this district have become the first ever female cricket players from the state to be invited to the prestigious National Cricket Academy in Bangalore to join the training camp that began today.
The girls — Madhuri Mehta, 19 and Rosnara Parveen, 19 — will represent Orissa in the one-and-half-month long camp. They are among 15 players to have been selected from across the country. If they perform well during the training, they would be shortlisted for the India probables. What makes their achievement all the more special is that they hail from a district known more for its poverty than sport.
Balangir was introduced to women cricket about four years ago, when the district athletic association formed a women cricket team in 2007. Several members of the team represented the state while Madhuri and Rosnara performed consistently well to find their place in the East Zone team. Madhuri comes from a family with strong cricketing background. Her father, Pradeep Mehta, remains one of the better players ever from the town who played as an all-rounder in Ranji Trophy in the 80s.
“As a child I was introduced to cricket by my father. He remains my inspiration who guided me to become a cricketer. I also had the backing of my family who supported me a lot though in my town cricket is not considered a game a girl should play, ” said Madhuri.
Rosnara comes from a family that doesn’t have any link with the game. It is her sheer passion for the game that has made her successful. Madhuri plays as the opening batsman while Rosnara is an off-spinner.
Cricket coach of Balangir Athletic Association Arun Naik, who coached both Madhuri and Rosnara, said he is confident of both the girls doing well at the camp and hopes that one day they would represent the country.
“I have been watching them ever since women’s cricket was introduced in Balangir about four years ago. They both are gifted players who can perform under any condition. I am confident that they would do well in the camp to ensure their place among the India probables. I hope one day they play for India,” said Naik. He said there are several others who would do well in future.
Secretary of Balangir Athletic Association Harinarayan Pujhari was all praise for the girls who have brought glory for Balangir. Pujhari said: “It is very special as Balangir is a backward district not known much for its contribution towards sports in Orissa. The girls are now the real stars of the state. We owe our gratitude to secretary of Orissa Cricket Association Ashirvad Behera who helped us a lot.”