This Cricketer’s Bat Thrashed Stereotypes #KnowYourSports SHEROES
Olympics are the only time when we make an effort to know our athletes. If, a P.V. Sindhu is promising us a gold medal in Olympics we go berserk, and cheer her to the moon. The good news is, we are finally rooting for these sports women. That’s a welcome change.
So how much do you know, rather how many of them do you know about? We are kickstarting with #KnowYourSports SHEROES series featuring kickass female sports personalities.
India has a strong-passionate love relationship with Cricket. Cricketers are demi-gods for us cricket crazy Indians. Sadly the other gender in this sport is hardly given any recognition in spite of their stellar performances and victories.
Anjum Chopra, former captain of the Indian women’s cricket team is a inspiration for every girl who wants to become a cricket champion.
Anjum is a left-handed batsman who bowls right-arm medium-fast.
Anjum played 12 Tests, 127 ODIs and 18 T20 Internationals for India. She scored 548 runs in Tests with 4 half centuries while in 50 overs format, she scored 2856 runs with a century and 18 half-centuries.
Anjum made her debut in one-day internationals at the early age of 17, on 12 February 1995 against New Zealand.
She made her debut in Test cricket a few months later against England at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, on 17 November 1995.
Anjum was made Captain of the Indian team in 2002. In her first series as skipper, she led India with 7 debutants to a whitewash win over visiting England side, a record victory.
In 2005 World Cup in South Africa, India reached the finals of the World Cup for the first time. She was the top scorer from India and was also the player of the match against England
Anjum is known to bat well under pressure and has played numerous knocks to perfection to get the victory. A quick runner between the wickets, her ability to convert ones to twos had been an outstanding feature of Anjum's batting style.
The firebrand cricketer has been awarded an honourary life membership of the Marylebone Cricket Club. The first Indian woman cricketer to get the prestigious life membership of MCC.
Anjum is a motivational and corporate speaker/consultant. She has conducted training programs for globally recognised brands, and various schools and colleges.
Among her long list of awards and recognitions, the prominent ones she received are Padma Shri, 2014 and Arjuna Award, 2007.
Anjum Chopra is now a sportscaster, presenting Indian women’s cricket on the telly. Her struggles with the preconcieved notions are plenty. But she chose to focus on her strengths and work on it to deliver concrete results. Her victories have been not only on field but off field too.
Next up we would want to know which sports SHEROES you would like to get featured next in this series and celebrate their sports (wo)man spirit.
