Just before the finals of the Red Bull Campus Cricket Women’s Tournament that was played between Rizvi College, Mumbai, and Gargi College, Delhi, on Friday at the PCA stadium in Mohali, Female Cricket got in touch with the coach of Gargi College, Ms. Neeru. Neeru is a former Haryana state player, having represented the state at U-19 and senior levels. She has been associated with many schools, colleges, and Ram Pal Cricket Academy (RPCA) as a coach.
Experience of playing Red Bull Campus Cricket Women’s Tournament
Talking about the Red Bull Campus Cricket for women, Neeru says, “It has been a very good tournament organized by the Red Bull. We will be playing the finals at the PCA, which is indeed a big thing. We played three matches in Delhi against different colleges and won all of them.”
Neeru has been associated with the girls of Gargi College team for 4-5 years. She says, “These girls have been with me for quite some time now. Some of them are from Delhi, while some are from Haryana. At Gargi College, we have good facilities for cricket. We practice for five days a week. There are 14 nets and we also have a bowling machine. Apart from the net practice, we have atleast two matches in a week for the girls. We play various invitation tournaments, which give girls the match practice.”
She adds, “In this team, we have several good players, to name a few, our captain Tanya Vajpayee is a phenomenal player. She has already represented Haryana at the U-19 level. Apart from her, Anchal Rai, Sanskriti, Megha and Umeshwari are the other players, who have been good.”
How can female cricketers get admission in Gargi College?
Girls can get admission to Gargi College either through sports quota or through the normal route based on the marks scored in the 10th standard. Neeru says, “If a girl has represented her state or has played school nationals, then that girl can get admission into Gargi College through sports quota.”
Neeru came to Delhi in 2014. She has completed her B.P.Ed as well as BCCI level 1 coaching. She has been associated with DDCA (Delhi and District Cricket Association) since 2014 as a fielding coach of the senior women’s team. Under her tutelage, Delhi U-19 reached the finals in 2018.
Neeru concludes, “Women’s cricket in Delhi is growing thick and fast. Many girls are taking up the sport. The parents are also encouraging their girls to pursue cricket, which will help them to be fit.”
I am a former cricketer having represented Mumbai University at All India University level. I was a part of MCA probables for the U-19 and U-23 age group. I have been an avid cricket writer for the last five years. Currently I am pursuing my Ph.D from IIT Bombay.
