The Indian women have done a tremendous job in the ICC Women’s World Cup and its needless to say that our country is jubilant with their achievements. But in a country where still people believe women are inferior to men, it ain’t an easy job for these ladies to make it all the way to the Indian side. Everyone has an inspiring story and today we’ll take a look at the inspiring story of left-arm spinner Ekta Bisht.
Her father, Kundan Singh Bisht, had to sell tea to make ends meet after retiring as havaldar from the Indian Army. He had worked for the Indian army for over a decade and after that, he had realised that he had to do something to earn money and give his daughter the required coaching to pursue her dreams.
He received a pension of Rs. 1,500 from the Indian army post retirement and that was not sufficient to run his house and send Bisht to coaching. “Ekta started playing cricket when she was just six. From then on, her love for the sport only grew. We were sure that she would do the country proud and she has done just that since she joined the national team in 2011,” saud Kundan Singh as quoted by Times of India.
“She loved the sport so much that she started playing cricket with boys. People would come and watch because she was the only girl in a team of boys. It put a strain on our finances but we supported her fully. She was a responsible child and would save the money we gave her during trials,” the cricketer’s mother, Tara, said.
Her mother also added how their life had changed after she selected in the Indian team and with time, even her husband’s pension had gone up. Ekta Bisht recently tore apart arch rivals Pakistan in the group stage match at the Derby. She picked her first 5-fer and that resulted in a catastrophic batting collapse.
“This phase lasted from 2006 to 2010, but I kept trying to motivate her and finally she was able to realize her dream. Her talent allowed her to surpass many difficulties, including the fact there was not even a proper stadium in Almora for her to train,” her former coach Liyakat Ali Khan said.
She is also the first women from Uttar Pradesh to represent the Indian national women’s side. This indeed is a marvellous story of grit and determination of Ekta, which will continue to inspire generations.
