Winner in 2023, hero in 2025: The journey of G Trisha

The Hyderabad all-rounder was the player of of the tournament as India won the U19 Women's T20 World Cup in Malaysia on Sunday
India all-rounder G Trisha with the U19 World Cup Trophy
India all-rounder G Trisha with the U19 World Cup TrophyICC
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CHENNAI: GV Ramireddy is standing on the sidelines of the Bayuemas Oval, Kuala Lumpur on Sunday afternoon, visibly emotional. As he watches on, G Trisha, his 19-year-old daughter, tries to put to words what she has achieved for India and what it means to her in conversation with the official broadcaster.

The Hyderabad all-rounder had just won her second U19 Women's T20 World Cup title for India, finishing as the top run-scorer and the player of the tournament.

That moment was a culmination of 15 years of hard work and sacrifice from not just Trisha but also her father Ramireddy and mother G Madhavi who moved from Bhadrachalam to Hyderabad to focus on making her a cricketer when she was almost three.

Which is why, when Trisha said, “It means everything,” you know she was not exaggerating. “I have no words to say. I would like to dedicate this to my father because he is here. I don’t think I would be here without him," she would add.

For Reddy, the surreal moment hasn't sunk in. All he could express was how ecstatic he was. "Very very happy," Ramireddy told The New Indian Express from Kuala Lumpur. "She had worked so hard for this in the last couple of years. I knew she would do well," he added.

While the dream of winning a WC came true in South Africa two years ago when India won the inaugural edition of the U19 WC, this victory will remain special. In 2023, Trisha, despite being the third highest run-getter for India, was not the central figure of the campaign. Here, however, she was the protagonist of India's title defence.

With 309 runs in seven innings at 77.25 average and 147.14 strike rate, first player to score a century in the U19 T20 WC, and seven wickets, Trisha was at the core of the Niki Prasad-led side's unbeaten run to triumph.

The numbers, the runs were never in question, and neither was the talent. Trisha has been an anointed prodigy right from the age of 12. But her strike rate and the way she took down bowlers in the powerplay make her a different player from what she was two years ago.

In fact even when she didn't find a team in the recent Women's Premier League auction, Trisha understood what was needed, put her head down and worked on it. That is one quality Trisha has always had, whether when she joined St John’s Coaching Foundation under P Srinivas at a very young age, or while training at Coaching Beyond with former India fielding coach R Sridhar in the past few years.

"She attended trials for many of the WPL teams but she didn't get a chance. It exposed her to the challenges lying ahead for her. She was very disappointed when she didn't get in WPL. But then the chat we had was, don't focus on WPL. You focus on winning the World Cup for India. That will come to you. The franchisees should come after you. You should not be running behind the franchisees. That is how you should prepare yourself. That is always the conversation we had. And on our side, the effort was to improve her as a person. Because cricket is a game of failures. So how to handle setbacks, how to communicate better, how to improve the leadership qualities in you. Because those kinds of things are what I was focussing on in the last one year," Sridhar told The New Indian Express.

"I know that she will always get runs. If you put a bat in her hand, she will win you a match more often than not. The hours of practice she has got behind her, not many would be having it. That is something which comes to her naturally.  She is always part of some camp in the Centre of Excellence or other. A lot of credit has to be given to CoE as much as Coaching Beyond. Because if she is not Coaching Beyond, then she is either playing a match for Hyderabad or she is in CoE.

"In this tournament, she was a mainstay and she has delivered. So that is what she is. When she is an important player of the team, she will deliver more often. She has finished 19 now with this World Cup. Such a lovely way to finish the U19 career by winning a World Cup. She will never play U19 again. But she is made for bigger things," Sridhar said.

The 54-year-old credited Ramireddy and Madhavi for the journey they have had and the sacrifices they made to help Trisha fulfill her dream. "The story is out in the open how Ram has done everything right from the days he was in Bhadrachalam till today, leaving everything behind. So, full kudos to him. And also her mother, who is not seen all the time but she is the one who supports her behind the scenes with everything," said Sridhar.

As Trisha graduated from the U19 level with two World Cups, her journey has just begun. “I want to play for my country and win more matches. Winning this again is simply superb,” she said with the widest grin possible.

Indeed. As Sridhar said, Trisha is made for bigger things.

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