Long haul, seeking success

Pallavi is rare. She practices with the boys, trains like them, bowls fast and aims to be in the national squad in another year-and-a-half, writes Deepika Sharma.

At 3 am every Saturday, in the hours when night is yet to turn to light, a 15-year-old hauls her cricket kit onto the platform at Gwalior station and waits for the first available train to Delhi. After nearly five hours of travel with her mother (an LIC agent), she comes to Sonnet Cricket Club, at the Venkateswara College ground, to practice and perfect the art of bowling.

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Pallavi is rare. She practices with the boys, trains like them, bowls fast and aims to be in the national squad in another year-and-a-half. "I like practicing with the boys, they are more serious about their game than girls," says the tall teen. "Playing for India by the end of 2006 is my main goal."

The boy-cut she sports and her lean, toned body, make her look more like a young boy than a young woman but Pallavi isn't bothered. She's more concerned about her bowling action and staying fit. "I work out in the gym for an hour everyday as fast bowling requires tremendous fitness," says Pallavi, with her ubiquitous grin.

Pallavi's coach Tarak Sinha first spotted her during a sub-junior national match in 2004 at Delhi, where she picked up eight wickets and was also declared the best upcoming player. "Pallavi bowled extremely well in that game and her fast bowling and a decent arm action made me quite pleased about training her at Sonnet," says Sinha.

She's also been lucky because her parents have always supported her irrespective of the fact that women's cricket is not popular in India. "My husband and I have never stopped Pallavi from practicing hard every morning because we are aware of her talent," says Beena Bhardwaj, Pallavi's mother.

Pallavi is specifically training with the boys as coach Sinha feels that if she makes it to the national squad, then that will give her an edge when she faces international opponents.