Fighting against odds, 4 city girls make it to MP cricket team

Bhopal: Women’s cricket in Bhopal is scaling new heights. Selection of four players from Bhopal in the MP cricket team proves that girls are making their presence felt at the higher level. Four city girls — Deepika Shakya, Tamanna Nigam, Nikita Singh and Priti Yadav — have been picked for the MP team, announcement for which was made on Wednesday.

This is a story of grit and gumption exhibited by four girls that has made their families proud. With no cricketing background in their families, achievements of these girls become all the more commendable since the Bhopal divisional cricket association (BDCA) is defunct.

Nikita Singh is an aggressive top-order batter. She hails from a remote village with no connectivity. Her father is a school teacher who has to keep fighting against all odds. “It is because of this reason I have never got frustrated even when I don’t get any success,” said Nikita. She hails from a nondescript village in Sidhi district.

Tamanna Nigam, a prolific swing bowler and an excellent batter, is the only child of her parents. Like Nikita, Tamanna is also daughter of a school teacher. She has proved her talent by making her strong presence felt through a series of splendid performances. “I could manage to play as my parents were there to support me. They gave me the best of facilities,” said Tamanna. She is an all-rounder and has been a vital player.

The story of Deepika Shakya is even more inspiring. She was dropped from the state team in 2012, but her family stood by her like a rock. They told her to pursue cricket. Now, she is a part of the state team for past three years. She is a wicket-keeper batter. To continue her game, Deepika even joined a private school as sports teacher. Priti Yadav, a spin bowler, had to face challenges from within her family. Priti’s parents were against her playing cricket.

Tamanna, Priti and Nikita are of Mayank Chaturvedi Academy. Academy director Sushil Singh said all the selected players have been consistent in their performance ever since they have joined cricket.

Interestingly, six players were in the selection camp, of which four have made it to the state team. MP will play against Meghalaya in T20 tournament of BCCI on October 15 in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh.