OPINION
Follow UsChase your dreams; they do come true!
As clichéd as this saying may sound, this has been the mantra for thousands of young girls pursuing the sport and aiming to emulate their national icons without much of a platform.
The inception of the Indian Premier League in 2008 was the catalyst behind the revolution of the Indian side, especially in the white-ball format.
Fifteen years on, the extravaganza continues to enthrall the fans every single season, and it is fair to say the league has unearthed a plethora of talents that have graduated from franchise cricket and have since donned national colours.
However, the same cannot be said about the women's cricketers in the country as they tirelessly go through the grind of domestic cricket without lack of exposure and higher number of matches to showcase their talent.
While women's cricket was in the shadows of their male counterparts for a majority of the years since the Board of Control for Cricket in India took charge of the side, it was only the heroics of the Women in Blue in the 2017 edition of the World Cup that prompted the board to start the Women's T20 Challenge with a one-off exhibition match in the scorching heat at the Wankhede Stadium in 2018.
However, with the Women's T20 Challenge now a three-team affair, the MCA Stadium in Pune witnessed one of the most special innings by a debutant as Kiran Navgire carved her name in the record books to smash the fastest half-century in the history of the tournament to propel the team to the summit clash.
Coming from a humble background in the small city of Solapur, cricket was never the first choice sport for Navgire. After honing her skills in various track and field events throughout her childhood, the hard-hitting batter switched to cricket after plying her trade for her college side.
With her ability to strike the ball a long distance started making the noises for the right reasons, she scored hundreds of runs in the local tournament before being picked for Maharashtra in the domestic circuit.
However, after not being able to get ample opportunities for the side and being in and out of the playing XI, the 27-year old switched her loyalties to Nagaland a couple of seasons ago, which proved to be a turning point in her cricketing journey.
Ahead of the Women's T20 Challenge, the right-handed batter scored 525 runs in seven innings at an average of 131.25 and a strike rate of 172.69, smashing 35 sixes, the most by a player in a single edition of the competition.
Despite being an unknown commodity in the women's cricket due to the elite and plate format of the teams, all eyes were on her when she was set foot at the venue in pursuit of 191 runs.
With the team tottering at 36 for the loss of one wicket in the massive run chase, she walked in at number three to help Velocity get some momentum in the run chase.
The first ball she faced off Salma Khatun was slog-swept for a big six over the deep mid-wicket region, which announced her arrival not only in the Women's T20 Challenge but also among all the people across the globe.
In the next 60 minutes that followed, Navgire displayed an array of strokes all around the ground to help the team get off to a flying start in the powerplay.
A detailed analysis of the above image helps us understand that Navgire scored 60 out of the 69 runs in front of the wicket, which is almost 88 percent of her runs.
It is heartening to see the growth and development of women's players in maximising the straighter boundaries rather than the traditional heave across the line.
"It was great to see an Indian domestic player hitting in the stands and it is exciting for Indian cricket but not something I would want as an opposite captain," said Smriti Mandhana, who once played with Navgire in the Maharashtra side, in the post-match interview
Despite not knowing when she'll feature next in the domestic tournament, Navgire underwent gruelling hours of practice sessions to get ready for her opportunity and emulate her idol, MS Dhoni, ahead of the league.
With her attacking strokeplay and her ability to take the game away from the opposition, her idol would have been mighty pleased with her effort. Her blistering knock of 69 runs off 34 deliveries studded with five boundaries and five huge hits over the fence at a strike rate of 202.9 powered the team through the final.
And as the commentator said while she was walking back to the pavilion after her valiant knock," This innings will inspire many young kids to pick up the bat and follow their dream." And we hope it does, as there ain't a dearth of talent in the country; all that is needed is a platform.
