Rajeshwari Gayakwad, she has created an unique record of bagging the most number of wickets in a single innings in Women’s World Cup 2017. She picked up 5 for 15 to see India through to the semi-finals, where Indian eves will take on their Australian counterparts. Mind you, India was thrashed by Australia by 8 wickets in the league stage. So it is going to be a stiff ask for the Indian eves to make the finals.
Who is Rajeshwari Gaekwad?
Cricket runs in her blood as her sister also plays division cricket. The 26 year old does not come from the bastions of cricket but hails from Bijapur in Karnataka. Bijapur is a very small town, which makes her achievement even more special.
Fact: Did you know, she was a javelin thrower before she started throwing the cricket ball.
How did it start? In 2007, she went to a trial in Bijapur Ambedkar ground. Rameshwari, her sister was also present at the camp along with her. Her athletic background, and the fact that she is left-handed, helped her stand out among the nearly 280 girls who showed up for trials.
With only a couple of months of practice, she was steamrolled into the Karnataka U-19 squad.
What a proud moment for India! #IndvsNZ #WomensWorldCup2017 #RajeshwariGayakwad #WWC17 pic.twitter.com/JxKBVwYWz5
— Vandana Mahajan (@007vandy) July 15, 2017
How has she sprung to limelight?
She picked up 5 for 15 in her first Women’s World Cup appearance and walked away with the best figures of the tournament.
Earlier: She had also picked up 4 for 12 against Sri Lanka just a month back.
Family background: The year after she made her debut in 2014, her father passed away. Her mother is a housewife. Now it is down to Rajeshwari and her elder brother who are the bread-earners of the family.
Till date, she has played 27 matches and picked up 47 wickets, which is good.
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