Haryana's 14-year-old Deeya slams 213* in U-15 Women’s One-day Trophy

The teenager struck 40 boundaries as her team crushed Tripura in a league match played at Raipur on Saturday

The Women's Premier League (WPL) mini auction to be held in Mumbai on December 9 could spring some interesting buys from the domestic circuit ahead of Season 2. Amongst them could be Haryana's 14-year-old Deeya Yadav, who already stands at 5-foot seven inches. Deeya hogged the limelight by hitting an unbeaten 125-ball 213 against Tripura in a league match of the U-15 Women's One-Day Trophy at Raipur on Saturday. She became the first to hit a double century in this format.

Representative image (HT)

“I had not scored much in the last two matches. So, I had come with extensive mental and skill preparation for this game as it was our last league game in the tournament and I wanted to make the most of the chance. From the first ball, it felt as if I could play a long innings today. I just went after the bowlers and within no time I had reached 100 in 20 overs; 15 overs were still left in the match, so I decided to go for another 100. I was just enjoying playing my shots,” said Deeya. She was born in Faridabad, but her parents moved to Pune when she was a toddler because of their professions. Her father is a stock broker and mother is an IT professional.

“I was always playing cricket in the neighbourhood when I was little in Pune, that’s when my father enrolled me in an academy. I was learning the basics in the academy and sometime afterwards the pandemic hit. During the pandemic my parents decided to move back to Haryana only because of my interest in cricket,” said the right-handed batter. Deeya, who hit 40 boundaries and scored at a strike-rate of 170 in a blemish-free knock, helped Haryana score a mammoth total of 343/1. In reply, Tripura were bowled out for 21 runs in 20.3 overs. The win ensured Haryana topped the pool and entered the quarter-finals.

Deeya, who idolises Mahendra Singh Dhoni, feels it would be interesting to watch the WPL auction if her name is included in the list. “I do not know if U-15 players can be considered in the list but if it is allowed then it would be wonderful to see how my name fares in the auction. As if now, I want to do well in the knockouts and enter the final,” said Deeya, who now lives in Gurgaon and trains at the Haryana Cricket Association (HCA) academy in Sultanpur.

“HCA has been supporting and promoting women’s cricket with zeal. The association wants its players to do well for India in U-19, U-23 and senior level. A lot of focus will be given to young players like Deeya in future so that they can reach the top level,” Haryana women’s U-15 team coach Mahipal said. Deeya also scored a century against Uttarakhand in the tournament.

BCCI started the U-15 tournament last season to provide a platform for nurturing junior women’s cricket. India winning the U-19 World Cup in South Africa in January has provided a much-needed fillip to age-group cricket.

Also training to be a seam bowler, Deeya is inspired by India opener Shafali Verma, the Haryana captain who made her international debut at 15. “She is an icon for many, also for me. I love the way she goes after the bowlers and dominates. I too follow that attitude when batting. I hope one day I can also make my state and country proud the way Shafali didi has.”