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Follow UsMarch 6 2022: It promised to be a Sunday blockbuster as two fierce rivals with rich cricketing history, India and Pakistan, locked horns in their opening fixture of the Women's World Cup in New Zealand.
However, if you have followed women's cricket closely in the last decade, it wouldn't be surprising for you to know that despite being one of the most anticipated clashes of this high-voltage competition, it was always going to be the game that would be dominated by India.
With plenty of superstars like Harmanpreet Kaur, Mithali Raj, Nida Dar and Bishmah Maroof in the two sides, all eyes were on them as the two sides stepped onto the field for this marquee clash.
When the team was reeling for 114 for the loss of six wickets, a young 22-year-old in Pooja Vastrakar took centrerstage along with Sneh Rana.
With the team tottering at the halfway into their innings, not many people gave the Indian team a chance to stage a comeback. However, Vastrakar had other ideas as she steadied the sinking ship and accumulated the ones and the twos to get the Indian innings back on track.
The pressure of playing in her first World Cup clash against arch-rivals Pakistan did not deter the youngster as life has thrown a variety of curveballs ever since she picked up the bat.
Grit and determination are the two words often associated with sports around the globe.
And the journey of Vastrakar is no different.
Like most women players in the country, Vastrakar's love for the game began with endless gully cricket sessions with the neighboring boys before the family enrolled her for professional training in Shahdol, Madhya Pradesh.
She knew only two things, bowl fast and hit sixes.
And under the astute training of Ashutosh Shrivastava, Vastrakar graduated through the ranks of club cricket to finally get selected for the Madhya Pradesh stateside.
A couple of years after her consistent performances in age-group cricket, she joined the senior side for the fifty-over format in 2016. She was even touted to be the next big thing in Indian cricket, fate had other ideas as she injured her knee in the league matches and ruptured her Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL), resulting in surgery.
Over a year of rehabilitation and extensive physio sessions, Vastrakar was back on her feet but missed a plethora of games that put her national call-up in jeopardy.
However, grueling hours of sessions under scorching heat and countless match-winning performances in the following year resulted in Vastrakar making her debut for the national side in February 2018 against South Africa.
The T20 World Cup was set to commence in West Indies later that year, India were banking on her all-around abilities to shine through and help them clinch the elusive title.
But, as destiny would have transpired, she injured her knee yet again in the warm-up fixture of the marquee event and was ruled out of the tournament.
"When an injury happens during a match for no fault of yours, disappointment is common for any player. During this time, it is important for us to motivate ourselves because it is very easy to get into a shell," she explained her mindset on dealing with the setbacks.
"I had to tell myself to forget everything from the past and note down what things I need to do to avoid another injury, she further added.
It was indeed a heart-wrenching situation after coming agonisingly close to making her World Cup debut.
Three years later, with the pandemic bringing the sport to an absolute halt, Vastrakar vowed to work on her fitness and emerged stronger from the setbacks.
She was the go-to player for Mithali Raj in the lead-up to the World Cup and scored 156 runs in seven innings at an average of 26 and a strike rate of 98.7 to emerge as the fifth leading run-getter for the team.
Despite India's exit from the group stages, Vastrakar was the only shining light for the team in a rather dismal campaign.
Her consistent performances ensured she was a vital cog for India in the Commonwealth Games and the 2022 T20 World Cup.
While she missed out in the semi-final against Australia due to illness, Vastrakar was back in action in the inaugural edition of the Women Premier League.
Fast-swinging yorkers and short-of-length deliveries targeting the body, the right-arm pacer displayed an array of deliveries in her arsenal as she powered Mumbai Indians into the record books.
There ain't any doubt that she missed a few games due to workload and injury management, but whenever she stepped onto the field, there was no dire of entertainment from the MP-born girl.
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Four months after showcasing her heroics in Blue and Gold of the Mumbai Indians, Vastrakar is back in action for the national side, albeit in a different role of opening the bowling.
In the absence of Renuka Thakur and given the sluggish surface in Mirpur, Harmanpreet Kaur opted for only a solitary seamer in the attack, Vastrakar was handed the additional responsibility of kickstarting the innings with the ball.
24 balls and one wicket later, Vastrakar showed that she was back to her absolute best as far as fitness is concerned, and Harmanpreet Kaur and the team management would hope for this to continue as the Women in Blue step into what promises to be a riveting season ahead.
