CHENNAI: A few years ago, Akshara Srinivasan had moved to Chennai from Oman in pursuit of a career in cricket. The move paid dividends as she first made it to the TNCA U-16 team before breaking into the U-19 squad of the state. “Shifting to India wasn’t that hard because I made up my mind and had a goal set. I got all the support from my parents. Even my mother moved with me to Chennai to help me achieve my goal,” 18-year-old Akshara told TNIE.
Back in Oman, she started representing her school, Muscat’s Indian School Ghubra, in athletics and other sports at a very young age before turning her focus to cricket at 14. “I represented my school team in the inter-school domestic tournament organised by Oman Cricket and got the best bowler of the year award. I started training hard and got selected for the Oman national women’s cricket team and played in the tour of Malaysia and Qatar as an opening bowler,’’ informed Akshara, who is a right-handed opening batswoman and a medium pacer.
Speaking on her journey, she said, “In Oman, I claimed a hat-trick while playing against a Pakistan school. Thereafter, I was adjudged best bowler of the year and it inspired me to work hard. My school physical education master Afzal Sher Khan and my parents were the reason I took up cricket.”
After getting selected in Tamil Nadu’s U-16 team, she played in the tournament held in Puducherry in 2019 as an opening batswoman. Class 12 examinations along with the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted her training but she did not give up and trained with boys to ensure she stays fit and in touch with the game.
“I featured as an opening batswoman in the boys’ team from my coaching academy. This year, I played three tournaments for AMCA (Iron Lady, Cricket Maidan & Queens Premier league) and scored 700 plus runs with a top score of 104 not out. I had won several player of the match, best batswoman of the series and player of the series awards. Now, I have been selected in the TNCA U-19 team and would like to make the best of the opportunities that I get,’’ said Akshara, who is doing her BA Sociology at MOP Vaishnav College for Women.
She admitted that the lockdown made it tough as several tournaments were cancelled in the past two years. “It was a tough time during lockdown but I did every possible indoor drill and workout so that I maintain my fitness. After they relaxed lockdown, I got back to the nets and worked hard. I played a few matches for the boys’ team through the academy. Exposure, more tournaments, practice matches and net facilities will help women cricketers to excel. Men’s cricket gets all the media attention, if we too get the same it will be a big morale booster and help us succeed,’’ signed off Akshara.