PUDUCHERRY: When Hyderabad’s Shravani Bhogi dismissed Maharashtra's Mukta Magre in her second over – a couple of balls after Tejal Hasabnis was dropped off her bowling — on Friday, she was elated. If one saw her celebrate with her teammates on the field, it would seem like she was just a 25-year-old off-spinner enjoying her cricket; which is exactly what she was doing, except that it was not the full story.
Just over a couple of weeks ago, Shravani’s house in Tukaram Gate, Secundrabad — where her family has been residing for several decades — was demolished by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation reasoning that it was too old and was on the verge of collapsing.
While the government officials have reportedly said Shravani was sent multiple notices about the old wall which was deemed to be the issue, the Hyderabadi cricketer claims that there was more to it. She said that there’s a family feud at the centre of it all, adding that they did not get the first two notices and got the third late. She also said that the wall was repaired as asked but no one came to inspect.
On the evening of April 6, she and her father Mallesh Bhogi were forced to evacuate and move to the Municipality community hall as they witnessed their house crumble.
All this was happening while the Hyderabad team’s preparatory camp for the senior women’s T20 league was going on. Staying in the community hall with her father, Shravani had to miss a few days of the camp.
While having no proper house to live in, she had to make a choice between staying there with her father to figure out things and joining the team and travelling to Puducherry for the tournament. And Shravani chose the latter.
“Obviously, there are issues back home. My father is still staying in the community hall with no proper food. I, too, was staying with him there and for a few days with our coach Anita Mishra. My coach and our advocate Sandeep Goud assured me that they will manage things there and encouraged me to play in the tournament,” Shravani told this daily.
“It was a difficult choice, but my cricket career is very important to me. Whatever I am now, it’s because of cricket, and this was a big tournament that I couldn’t miss. The players, Hyderabad Cricket Association and the team have all been very supportive in every way they can,” adds the 25-year-old.
Although Hyderabad have been eliminated and Shravani has just four wickets to show, she has tried to enjoy every minute she spent on the field. It was her happy place where she wouldn’t have to think about anything else.
“Outside there are a lot of things happening, but if I let those affect my cricket, my career will be stagnant. if I try to enjoy my cricket, that is also a way of happiness, right? And, my happiness is mainly being associated with cricket, there is nothing more than that,” she signed off.
Quarterfinalists:Maharashtra, Mumbai, Railways, Odisha, Baroda.
Pre-quarterfinals fixtures on March 28: Kerala vs Nagaland, Jharkhand vs Haryana, Goa vs Himachal Pradesh.