For any of you who share a parallel love for cricket and Bollywood, the two greatest crowd-pleasers in India, the Shahid Kapoor-Rani Mukherjee starrer ‘Dil Bole Hadippa’ would presumably be on your list of watched movies.
Rani, who plays Mira, a die-hard cricket fan plus a budding cricketer, thoroughly entertains us with her gags as ‘him.’ For the Amritsar that didn’t recognise women’s cricket, the actress masquerades herself as a boy throughout the movie to become the first female cricketer from Punjab.
Behind the camera, colour, and glitz, the scriptwriter of the movie was perhaps inspired by a 7-year-old in Pune who did the same – neatly tucked her hair under the cap to impersonate a boy and play cricket. It was because women’s cricket was still a lesser encouraged sport then.
“I was in class 1 when I started to acquire professional coaching. The ground where my first coach Pawan Kulkarni trained me, prohibited girl cricketers. So Pawan Sir asked me to hide my hair under the cap and that is how we would train daily,” recalls the 19-year-old Devika Vaidya, who is now a well-known name in Indian women’s cricket.
Early Beginning
While most of her peers were busy memorising their maths tables and dwelling in the fascination of using a pen over a pencil, Devika had dreams others would have called unrealistic. A child prodigy, her instincts informed her early in life that sports were her true calling.
“Initially I played two sports simultaneously – taekwondo and cricket. Not many would know that as a child, I represented my state in the former, and also won a black belt.”
However, lack of time to devote to both the sports, in tandem with the better scope in cricket meant that the 22 yards took precedence over the Dojang for Devika.
“I got more inclined towards cricket since my family loved the sport as well. Besides, match dates for both the sports used to often clash, which is why I had to let go of one of the two. And given that cricket had a better scope, I went ahead with it.”
And the eager beaver in the little girl let didn’t her undermine her studies while playing both the sports.
“I didn’t give up on my studies while playing cricket and taekwondo. I made sure I gave two hours daily to my homework as well. And although cricket is now my profession, taekwondo remains as special to me,” she recalls with nostalgia.
Devika is currently into her first year of Bachelors of Business Administration. The youngster elaborates that dropping studies as a child would have been unwise, and she has a thoughtful explanation for that.
Devika highlights how a cricketer’s journey on the ground is only limited to her fitness level. With injuries, her on-field career could be stalled any moment, which is why a backup profession is very important.
“I am pursuing BBA because I want a backup profession. I will not be playing cricket all my life, and with injuries being a common obstacle in our journey, a second option is always needed.”
Such words of wisdom coming from a 19-year-old, an age when most teens are still on the fence about life, is a testament to Devika’s maturity.
Playing with boys and determination towards fitness
Fitness is what Devika brought into focus during her transition from the domestic to international realm. Skills minus fitness are fruitless in any sport, something the young adult became cognizant of.
“I love fitness. I love to hit the gym. During my early years in domestic cricket, I had skills but not the required levels of fitness. So that is what I focused the most on.”
Devika grew up playing cricket with boys. According to her, practising with boys meant exercising and running as hard as they do. Such rigorous practice makes playing with girls in the international level easier.
“I played many matches with boys because at the higher level, being quick on the field is very important. Whether you are batting, bowling or fielding, running fast is a must. So playing with boys is comparatively a better match practice, which makes playing with girls easier.”
Ascendance to the international arena
Being part of the Indian Cricket Team at such a juvenile age caught the attention of everyone, but for Devika, the transition from domestic to the international arena meant carving out a niche for herself alongside more established names.
All of a sudden, she saw herself sharing the dressing room with India greats like Jhulan Goswami and Mithali Raj. Devika made her T20 debut during South Africa’s 2014 tour of India when she was only 17, but did not get to bat.
With the ball, she went for 30 runs in her three overs, not the kind of debut she would have anticipated. Notably, though, she had not attended any entry camps before that. Her selection, she says, was based solely on her domestic performances.
“My T20 debut was solely based on the back of my domestic performances. But it was very new for me. I took time to gel myself with other players, but it was fun nonetheless.”
In 2014-15, she was awarded the BCCI award for best junior woman cricketer. The reason being, she emerged as the leading wicket-taker in the Inter-State T20 Competition that season and was also the leading run-getter with two centuries and two half-centuries in the Inter-State One-Day Competition.
In 2015-16, she amassed 258 runs and bagged nine wickets in only five matches.
After a rather disappointing start to her international T20 career, giving blood, sweat, and tears was all Devika had on the brain. She knew she had to make the most of her ODI call-up, and she did it.
Devika made her ODI debut against West Indies on November 16, 2016. With the ball, she conceded 20 runs in her 4 overs and took a solitary wicket – a decent record in a maiden foray. With the bat, coming on No.6, she remained not out on 32 from 45 balls, respectable returns.
Speaking about her ODI debut, she calls to mind, “I didn’t feel odd for me because I had interacted and played with India’s international cricketers at the national level. We know each other well since we often played together in domestic games, and on my big day, when I made my debut, they made sure I didn’t feel out of place.”
If not on her debut, the all-rounder rose to prominence with her sensational knock against Sri Lanka, which also helped India register one of their highest ODI totals of 260. It was a big game - a qualifier to qualify for the World Cup which is now underway.
India were 9-1 in the 5th over when Devika came in to bat. And when she was dismissed in the 40th over for 89 runs, they were 181-1. Batting consistently for close to 35 overs, in only her second international ODI, was a feat in itself. India beat hosts Sri Lanka by 114 runs at P Sara Oval, and Devika bagged the player of the match.
Speaking on that experience, she said said, “It was a different experience altogether since I had never before faced any bowler from Sri Lanka. Since the first wicket fell early, I got the opportunity to bat up the order and I capitalized on that.
“I like to play the new ball because I can use the pace just to tide the ball. So I built the innings from thereon. After I had settled for the pacers, the spinners were comparatively easier to play because by then I had settled down and was in rhythm,” she explained.
"Since the wicket was a flat one, anything below 200 would have been a gettable target, which is why we accelerated our run-rated in the death overs.”
Mental toughness is her strength
Devika considers her relationship with her first coach Pawan Kulkarni special. He recognised the 7-year-old's talent before anyone else did, which is why he thought the trouble of camouflaging her gender from the ground authority was worth it.
The left-handed batsman, a fan of Brett Lee, used to bowl medium pace for 3-4 years after taking up cricket. However, it was Kulkarni who soon realised that Devika’s physique and height would be a hindrance to her future as a pace bowler. The pacer then had to start afresh as a bowler and slowly develop herself as a leg-spinner.
After two years of coaching under Kulkarni, during which she learning the basics of the sport, she switched to her second coach Atul Gaikwad, whose tutelage she acquired for 6 years. Devika credits Gaikwad the most for what she is today. Her current coach, Nilanjan Godbole, is the one who laid emphasis on mental toughness, which she now calls her asset.
Irrespective of the opponents trying to mentally disintegrate her, and fiddle with her confidence, Devika remains calm.
“I don’t get tensed easily. It is not easy to destroy my confidence or concentration, and this is a trait I have learnt from my coach.”
In the future ahead, Devika wants to cement her own class in the sport, for she agrees that form is only temporary.
“Having made my debut, my aim now is to deliver consistent performances in the team, for nobody’s place here is certain for a long time.”
Brand-new app in a brand-new avatar! Download CricRocket for fast cricket scores, rocket flicks, super notifications and much more! 🚀☄️
