Pragnya Priyadarshini Mishra took up cricket commentary at the age of 11. Telegraph picture

Sonepur, Feb.1: She leaves the audience spellbound when she lifts the mike and gives a ball-by-ball description of major cricket tournaments in Orissa. Meet Pragnya Priyadarshini Mishra of Sonepur, who has made a name for herself in the arena of cricket commentary as the only female cricket commentator in Orissa.

For the last seven years she has been a cricket commentator and has done the job for major tournaments in Orissa, her latest outing being the 25th All India Lalmony Memorial Cricket Tournament in Sonepur that concluded last Sunday.

Speaking of what made her take up cricket commentary, which is considered an unusual passion for woman, Pragnya said: “I was into debating right from Class I and I always excelled in it. I won several state level and national level prizes. It was my oratory skill that caught the fancy of some of my well-wishers who advised me to try my hands at cricket commentary. I always loved the game and followed it whenever it was on television. Sonepur has been staging a cricket tournament for several years now and the organisers of the tournament encouraged and guided me a lot to take up commentary for them.”

In 2004, at the age of 11, Pragnya made her commentary debut. After that she has never looked back. “Since then I have lent my voice for major cricket tournaments all over Orissa,” said the 18-year-old.

Pragnya has been a part of tournaments such as All India Bodasambar Cup of Padmapur, Rajaraj Singhdeo Memorial Cup of Patnagarh and PVN Murty Memorial Inter School Cricket tournament in Cuttack. In fact her cricketing talent came in for special mention by Orissa Cricket Association (OCA) secretary Ashirvad Behera during a tournament in Cuttack. But her real lesson started at home where her father Brajabandhu Mishra took up the role of her philosopher and guide.

Mishra said: “She is very good in English and with the kind of oratory skill she possessed, I thought she should follow it even after her school career. When some people suggested about cricket commentary as a career option for her, I though it was a good platform to exploit her talent. She understood the game, but didn’t have the technical expertise. With the help of some cricket experts, I guided her on the various field positions, name of the shots and other intricacies of the game.”

“She practiced a lot in front of the television. After her confidence level was high, I ensured that she took to commentary in 2004,” he added.

Pathan Panda, president of Sonepur District Cricket Association, said Pragnya had been an asset for the association. “Since she took up commentary seven years ago, she has never let us down. Since 2004 she has been part of our commentary team for every edition of the All India Lalmony Memorial Cricket Tournament that is organised by our association,” Panda said. At present, Pragnya is studying accountancy at the Institute of Chartered Accountancy of India in Bhubaneswar.