UP gets three reasons to cheer for women WC
LUCKNOW: When the Indian women’s cricket team takes the field in Twenty20 World Cup in West Indies this November, cricket fans from Uttar Pradesh will have three reasons to cheer for the squad.
All-rounder Deepti Bhagwan Sharma from Agra, left-arm orthodox spinner Ekta Bisht from Almora (Uttarakhand) but she plays for UP and googly specialist Poonam Yadav, also from Agra, made it to the squad declared on Friday. The World Cup is scheduled from November 9 to 24.
This has been the second time when three women cricketers from state have made it to the Indian squad at the T20 World Cup. In fact, the same trio had been the part of squad for the T20 WC in 2016. They had been quite successful with the willow and the ball in the 2017 World Cup (50 over format) at England, where Mithali Raj-led Indian eves finished runners-up, losing to host England by nine runs in the summit clash. Both Deepti and Ekta are the products of Indian Railways, whereas Poonam after not getting the befitting response to her achievements in the state despite a superlative show at the 2017 World Cup, quit UP and joined Bengal last season to play in the domestic circuit. The achievements of these three are rare as Uttar Pradesh, despite producing top women cricketers in the past like Rita Dey, Hemlata Kala, Neetu David etc., had no representation in the women’s World Cup when it was first held in 2008 and then in 2010.
Ekta Bisht was the first one to make it to the squad in 2012 and thereafter only Poonam Yadav was part of the squad in the 2014 World Cup. After making her Test debut against England at Wormsley in August 2014, Ekta couldn’t get a chance to play the Test again, but has so far played 52 ODIs and 40 T20s and her 129 wickets, including 50 in T20, which speaks the volume of her quality bowling. Similar is the case with Poonam Yadav, 27, who has so far played 35 ODIs and 43 T20s and has taken 117 wickets, including 61 in T20 alone. Deepti has so far taken 67 wickets, including 18 in 19 T20s, but her ability to bat down in the order is a plus for the Indian side.
The three UP cricketers did justice to their roles against Sri Lanka with India winning the one-day series by 2-1 before outplaying the rivals 4-0 in T20 series. Poonam had 3/18 in the last match which India won by 51 runs in Katunayake on Monday.