Mumbai, January 17: Initially, Parunika Sisodia seems like any other teenager, with sparkling eyes and an honest smile. Parunika, however, isn슬롯사이트t your average Indian teenager; she played tennis as an Under 12 player in New Delhi, looking up to Serena Williams and Sania Mirza. However, in January 2018, while watching her father, Sudhir, teach cricket at Yamuna Sports Complex in East Delhi슬롯사이트s Surajmal Vihar, Parunika became interested in the sport, trading her tennis racquet for a cricket ball. With Smriti Mandhana and MS Dhoni As Inspirations, Bhavika Ahire Aims To Shine in ICC U19 Women슬롯사이트s T20 World Cup 2025.

Since making that transition, her cricketing career has been through its ups and downs. But with gratitude, maturity and humour in her words, Parunika is poised to significantly contribute to India슬롯사이트s U19 Women슬롯사이트s T20 World Cup campaign, aiming to retain the title they won in 2023.

슬롯사이트I am feeling very grateful because it슬롯사이트s a very exciting emotion 슬롯사이트� playing for India, that too in a World Cup is a big thing. I am also grateful for this opportunity because I was there in the quadrangular series ahead of the last World Cup, but couldn슬롯사이트t make it to the tournament. So now being here and playing for India in the World Cup is a very special moment for me,슬롯사이트� said Parunika in an exclusive conversation with IANS before leaving for Kuala Lumpur.

India슬롯사이트s triumph in the inaugural Women슬롯사이트s U19 Asia Cup, which co-incidentally happened in Malaysia last month, is also a big confidence boost. 슬롯사이트We know the conditions over there now. The Asia Cup win has definitely helped us to calm the chills we were having and now we슬롯사이트re just going to go there, play and do what we can do to our best.슬롯사이트� ICC U19 Women슬롯사이트s T20 World Cup 2025: Ishwari Awasare Inspired by Sachin Tendulkar슬롯사이트s Words, Aims To Play for India Women슬롯사이트s Cricket Team.

슬롯사이트Our coaches have been pretty clear about the roles and what they have told us is to just express ourselves there. When we are on the field, just do whatever we feel right and they are there to back us up and enjoy the game,슬롯사이트� added Parunika, who now trains at RP Cricket Academy in Gargi College under Surjeet Verma and Ajay Verma.

Amongst the highs in her bubbling cricketing career, where she슬롯사이트s known for providing control, and bowling faster through the air with her variations, Parunika considers taking 5-26 on her debut for Delhi in the Senior Women슬롯사이트s One-Day Trophy match against Jharkhand on October 31, 2021 as her 슬롯사이트fondest performance슬롯사이트�.

슬롯사이트I was straightaway called for seniors from U19 and everyone was just telling me to calm down. They were like 슬롯사이트Don슬롯사이트t be nervous and just bowl. Even if you get hit, we슬롯사이트ll just back you up슬롯사이트�. Then I went there and I came out with my first five-wicket haul. Till then, I never got a five-wicket haul and it came after the Covid-19 pandemic,슬롯사이트� she said.

Parunika슬롯사이트s success in her debut senior women슬롯사이트s game is all more remarkable given that she only took up cricket three years ago, and admitted to not liking the sport when she was into tennis, even before becoming a proper left-arm spinner.

슬롯사이트I used to go with him for my fitness sessions, and then from there, I started playing cricket doing the summer camps there. It raised my interest and then in 2018, I thought this is the game I want to play now for the upcoming years,슬롯사이트� she added.

Parunika and Sudhir, a former age-group cricketer for Uttar Pradesh who also played university cricket, believed she슬롯사이트d excel as a batter despite her tennis background hindering her straight bat shots. ICC U19 Women's T20 World Cup 2025 Full Schedule, Free PDF Download Online: Get Fixtures, Time Table With Match Timings in IST and Venue Details of Twenty20 Cricket Tournament.

슬롯사이트The first women슬롯사이트s match I saw, Mithali Raj and Smriti Mandhana were batting together, and looked up to them as I was starting off as a batter. So my dad said, 슬롯사이트You should look up to them and see what they are doing슬롯사이트�. Seeing them play, I thought 슬롯사이트Oh, girls play like this too슬롯사이트� as before then, I seriously had no idea about cricket that time. After I shifted to cricket, I was like, 슬롯사이트Oh girls play like this as well슬롯사이트�.슬롯사이트�

Later, she switched to medium-pace bowling, but one day, she unexpectedly started bowling left-arm spin. 슬롯사이트One day it was raining. So we were not allowed to bowl medium-pace. I thought that, okay, I슬롯사이트ll just bowl spin only then.슬롯사이트�

슬롯사이트Then I think I was bowling well and my father saw it and he was like, 슬롯사이트You have to bowl spin now슬롯사이트�. I was like, okay, and that슬롯사이트s where my spin bowling came into picture. As soon as I started being a spinner, I saw Daniel Vettori and he has always been my idol. I really look up to him now.슬롯사이트�

Named as a standby for Delhi슬롯사이트s U23 team, Parunika made her U19 debut in 2019/20, just before Covid-19 came, and became the seventh leading wicket-taker in the one-day tournament. Post-pandemic, Parunika became the second-highest wicket-taker in the 2021/22 Senior Women슬롯사이트s One-Day Trophy with 14 scalps 슬롯사이트� tied with three more bowlers on the list.

In the next season, Parunika became the leading wicket-taker of the Senior Women슬롯사이트s One-Day Trophy with 21 scalps and was also the top wicket-taker for North Zone winning the subsequent zonal tournament. Parunika슬롯사이트s excellent performances led her to be roped in by the Gujarat Giants for the inaugural 2023 Women슬롯사이트s Premier League (WPL) season.

Parunika confessed she felt star-struck to be in the dressing room alongside prominent Indian and foreign players. 슬롯사이트The only thing I planned to do there was learn everything from them, like what and how they eat, how they do things and how they슬롯사이트re going to play a match, their schedules and everything. There I just did this only and I was very satisfied with that.슬롯사이트�

Nooshin Al Khadeer, formerly the team슬롯사이트s bowling coach and currently the head coach of India U19, was acquainted with Parunika. However, Parunika was more keen to meet Mithali, whom she admired since her childhood.

슬롯사이트I told my coaches that I want to meet and talk to Mithali mam because I idolised her. Then she came for the first day of practice, and said, 슬롯사이트Oh, hi Parunika, you슬롯사이트re the left-hand spinner, right?슬롯사이트� I said, 슬롯사이트Yes, ma슬롯사이트am슬롯사이트�. I was so happy from inside that she knew my name and what I do in cricket. As soon as I got back to my room, I called my dad and told him 슬롯사이트You know, Mithali mam knows me슬롯사이트�.슬롯사이트�

Despite her team finishing last in WPL 2023, Parunika gained invaluable experience in managing pressure and controlling her nerves.

슬롯사이트I had never seen so many people watching and cheering for a women슬롯사이트s game. Whenever we used to have a match against Mumbai Indians, only the Mumbai supporters were there filling the stadium. So it was very nice to see people cheering, but we as a team were calming our nerves, playing there and showing what we could do. WPL has brought a different change in Indian players.슬롯사이트�

The sadness of not being a part of the last India U19 batch, as they lifted the glittering World Cup trophy in 2023, also taught Parunika about 슬롯사이트focusing more on the controllables and what she can do the best for the team슬롯사이트� now in the upcoming tournament.

In the U19 Women슬롯사이트s Asia Cup, Parunika picked nine wickets and was the second-highest wicket-taker in the tournament behind fellow left-arm spinner Aayushi Shukla슬롯사이트s ten scalps. Much of India슬롯사이트s success will rely on the left-arm spin quarter of Parunika, Aayushi, Sonam Yadav (the 2023 World Cup winner), and Vaishnavi Sharma, to befuddle and dominate opposing batsmen throughout the tournament.

슬롯사이트All of us are very chill about picking wickets. Whoever was playing, we were like, 슬롯사이트Oh, now it슬롯사이트s your day슬롯사이트�. There was a day where the three of us got four wickets one by one. So it슬롯사이트s like all of us were just waiting when the other one is getting wickets. So now we have four left-arm spinners, and all of us were just talking like 슬롯사이트One match each and we슬롯사이트re going to perform in one match each슬롯사이트�, so that we all are there in the game.슬롯사이트�

Aside from cricket, Parunika said sleeping is one of her favourite hobbies now as it helps her recover after playing lots of cricket. When not sleeping, she goes out with her friends' gang to just chill. She doesn슬롯사이트t have much pressure of studies as compared to other 12th graders, as her family has said 슬롯사이트Just learn how much you know that you can pass now and then you leave it슬롯사이트�. India Cricket Team for ICC U19 Women슬롯사이트s T20 World Cup 2025 Announced: Niki Prasad Set To Lead As Defending Champions Name 15-Member Squad.

If India goes all the way to win their second U19 Women슬롯사이트s T20 World Cup title on February 2, Parunika will feel fulfilled about continuing a legacy of the team being the best U19 women슬롯사이트s side in the cricketing world, and spark greater interest in the sport amongst fans back home.

슬롯사이트Every one of us is just focusing on how we can help the team to get that trophy. I want the Indian fans to come and cheer for us. I want them to know Malaysia is a good place to spend your vacation and see us win the trophy too,슬롯사이트� she signed off.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 17, 2025 02:17 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).