Anagha Murali\'s dream come true at sixteen

Sixteen-year-old Anagha Murali can’t quite believe the way things have developed. The cricketer from Bangalore is representing her country as one of the youngest players picked for the upcoming Women’s T20 challenge, otherwise known as the Women’s IPL.

Speaking to DC from her hotel room in Mumbai, where she is quarantined, the excited young girl said, “I am very happy to be part of the team consisting of many seniors. It will also help me to interact with players from other countries. It is like a dream come true for me. I want to make the most of this opportunity given to me.”

Interestingly, Anagha is also a good swimmer and a Lawn Tennis player. She continues to swim as a cross-training sport. “I started playing Lawn Tennis when I was five years old, and learnt swimming subsequently. I used to play tennis ball cricket alongside these sports from the beginning. One of my father’s friends saw me playing cricket and told my father to enroll me in formal cricket coaching,” shares Anagha.

It was Mr Muralidhar of the Heron Cricket Club who identified her talent and encouraged her. Ever since the lockdown was sufficiently relaxed, Anagha has been practicing regularly at Six Academy under the head coach, Mr Jeshwant, who has worked on improving her all-round skills. “After I came to know about the selection, I had a couple of focused sessions at the Academy to hone my bowling, batting and fielding,” reveals Anagha. 

Anagha’s father Murali Prasad says Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja is her favourite cricketer. Like her idol, she’s left-handed.

“Anagha has won many awards,” says Mr Prasad, who has quit his job with a multinational company to support his daughter in her sporting pursuits. Her mother is an Ayurveda physician.

The Indian women’s team will be leaving for the UAE on Wednesday and the players will undergo a six-day quarantine there.