CHENNAI: Frequent shutdowns and never-ending curfews forced Jasia Akhtar to shift from Shopian district in Jammu and Kashmir to Punjab in 2013. The decision to leave family and start a new life in uncharted territory seems to have paid dividends.
Jasia was on Thursday named in one of the three squads for the upcoming Women’s T20 Challenge. Seen as a precursor to a women’s IPL, this tournament will be played between May 6 and 11 in Jaipur. Jasia will play for the Smriti Mandhana-led Trailblazers. She was a part of India Reds in the women’s Challenger Trophy last year.
The opening batter becomes the second player from the valley to make it to the national cricket scene. Last month, 17-year-old fast bowler Rasikh Salam Dar had become the second from J&K after Parvez Rasool to play in the IPL, when he made debut for Mumbai Indians against Delhi Capitals at Wankhede Stadium.
Jasia wanted to be a cricketer ever since she started playing with boys at her ancestral village of Braripora in Shopian. Opportunities kept shrinking as she grew older. Unrest in J&K didn’t help either. “I realised soon that I had to leave J&K if I wanted to continue playing cricket. Facilities were not good. The deteriorating law and order situation made it worse,” Jasia told this newspaper from her residence on Friday afternoon.
If a male member of a family wants to relocate in search of opportunities, the move hardly draws resistance or attention. It’s completely opposite if the person is a woman. “I must say I’m lucky in that sense. My parents never objected to my move to Punjab. They have complete faith in me,” said the cricketer who is nearing 30.
Jasia’s father Gull Mohammed Wani is a farmer. The eldest among three sisters and two brothers, she was looking for an option when one of her acquaintances, Ranjeet Singh (coach of Guru Nanak Dev University in Punjab), invited her to play for his team. “Playing with his team gave me an opportunity to rub shoulders with players like Harmanpreet Kaur. I went on to represent Punjab in one-dayers and T20s. My first assignment was a one-dayer against Uttar Pradesh in Kanpur. I failed and was disappointed. Harmanpreet’s words restored my confidence,” said the right-hander.
Jasia was visiting her parents when she heard from the BCCI of her selection on Thursday. “Mobile connectivity is an issue but I fortunately received the call from BCCI. I’ll leave for Amritsar on Saturday and board a flight for Jaipur on May 2,” Jasia said.
She will be in elite company. Among the players she will be playing alongside are some legends of the women’s game, like India pacer Jhulan Goswami, Stafanie Taylor of the West Indies, Suzie Bates of New Zealand and Sophie Ecclestone of England. “The experience will count, as I’ll learn the tricks of the trade from these experienced campaigners,” she signed off.