It is always said that making a comeback into the national side is a lot harder than making your debut, and there is no better person to understand this fact than India’s formidable opening batter, Punam Raut.
The journey of the 27-year-old is nothing short of inspiration for hundreds and thousand of young girls to take up this sport and dream of playing for the country some day.
Early days
Cricket is followed like a religion in the country, and if you happen to walk down any road, it will not be surprising to find the kids of every second colony indulging in this sport. Just like most of the players in the country, the tireless hours of gully cricket was indeed the stepping stone in convincing their parents to register them in a cricket academy.
And the story is no different for Raut either as the gully cricket matches worked wonders for this kid, and her father enrolled her in the Payyade Sports Club under the watchful eyes of Sanjay Gaitonde.
However, pursuing a career in the game was always going to be a difficult option for the family, given their financial condition but it did not deter the young player to follow her passion. Despite all the struggle in the initial days, there is one thing that always stands out, her dedication towards the game.
Representing the Payyade Sports Club in her first ever competitive game against the boys, Punam recorded a match-winning 68 to guide her team over the line. The knock not only exhibited the talent of this stylish right-hander but also showcased the glimpses of great things to follow in the career of the Mumbai-born player.
Also read: SK Flashback: Mithali Raj's hundred on One Day International debut
Debut for the country
The transition from boy's cricket to the women’s circuit was a touch difficult for her as she struggled to adjust to the slow pace of the bowlers. However, it was just the matter of time before she began to get into her groove and dominate the bowling units all over again.
Hours and hours of practice sessions with the Mumbai team reaped rich dividends as she slowly tweaked her batting style to suit the nuances of the women’s game. With a new vigour and a completely changed environment from that of a boy’s team, Punam embarked on her journey with the women’s team as a part of the Mumbai squad for the domestic matches.
The runs started flowing for this talented batter, and slowly yet steadily the weight of her performances with the willow started making the right noises as an Indian cap looked to be a question of when rather that if. Raut didn’t have to wait much longer and much to the delight of her family, Punam was included in the Indian team for the 2009 edition of the ICC Women’s World Cup at Australia.
Despite the debut game against the West Indies not going as per the expectations, she returned from the tour with plenty of exposure and a bag full of experience at the international level.
2013 edition of the Women’s World Cup
With a little more experience at the top level, Punam vowed to make amends for her failure in the debut game and come back stronger onto the field. Four years later in the same tournament and against the same opposition, she walked in to take centre stage in probably the biggest day of her life.
The nerves of playing for the country in the inaugural match of the mega event in her hometown and in front of a packed crowd at the Brabourne Stadium, however, did not have any bearing on her as she calmly went about her business. Along with the centurion of the game, Thirush Kamini, she gave the Indian team a solid start at the top of the order by scoring a well made half century. The innings will always be a highlight of her career as it came at the right time for the team in this humongous contest.
Also read: SKipper: Mithali Raj, one of the greatest captains in Women's Cricket
Time away from the game
Just as she was making her mark on the Indian team, the runs began to dry up, and a string of low scores resulted in her ouster from the side. A massive setback very early into the career can hamper the mental aspect of any player but it was not the case of this lady in Blue. She was determined to fight her way back and thus went back to her roots – to the Payyade Sports Ground, the place where it all began for her – undergoing hours of rigorous training to get back the scoring touch.
After being closely associated with her for almost a decade, there was not been a single day where she was not seen at the venue, polishing her skill and grinding it out to become better. For her, it is always about improving her game in some way or the other, and she was there either honing her cricketing skills or working out in the gym to get herself tournament ready.
Resurgence
The time away from the game worked out well for Punam as she transformed her technique and evolved as a much-improved player which yielded her massive dividends. The last season of the domestic circuit for Railways was pivotal to the success of this dynamic player as she scored hundreds of runs for her team at the top of the order.
With as many as two centuries in the Senior Zonal tournament, Raut paved her way into the side for the quadrangular series held in South Africa. The competition was touted to be a rehearsal for the high voltage Women’s World Cup and Punam announced herself with a scintillating century against Ireland in the league phase of the tournament.
Enroute this milestone, Punam etched her name in the history books by recording the highest partnership of 320 runs for the opening wicket along with Deepti Sharma.
The resurgence of this young lady is purely due to her sheer grit and determination to play for the nation and the performance against England in the opening match of this iconic tournament is just a small example of many great things to follow.
Also read: From masquerading as a boy to playing for Indian Cricket Team: The story of Devika Vaidya
