“Koi club nahi hai sir, fun ke liye khelti hoon” - Kiran Navgire’s coach recalls interaction with cricketer after a university game

Gulzar Sheikh, coach of big-hitting batter Kiran Navgire, has recalled an interesting interaction with the cricketer after a university game. He stated that he was amazed by her power-hitting, but was even more stunned to learn that she did not represent any club, but was playing for fun.

The incident dates back to 2016, when Navgire was 22. Just six years later, on Friday (August 19), she earned a maiden call-up to the India women’s squad for the tour of England. India women will play three T20Is and three ODIs in England from September 10 to 24.

Reacting to Navgire’s national selection, her coach looked back at her amazing journey in the sport so far. Speaking to The Indian Express, Sheikh shared details of his interaction with the cricketer after a university game. He recalled:

“She was playing a university game at Azam Sports Academy in Pune. I saw her smashing sixes for fun. Her power-hitting left me amazed. I and our president Dr PA Inamdar went to her after the match and asked her at which club she is training.”

Sheikh added:

“She said, koi club nahi hai sir, fun ke liye khelti hoon. Mujhe athletics mey kuch karna hai, waise bhi cricket kaafi costly game hai. (I don’t represent any club. I play cricket for fun. I want to do something in athletics because cricket is very costly.)”

Sheikh revealed that Navgire agreed to take cricket seriously after she was assured that she won’t have to pay a single penny and just had to come and play at the academy. The youngster scored over 400 runs in five games in an annual tournament organized by the Pune District Cricket Association in 2016-17.

---

“She used to throw shot put and javelin” - Kiran Navgire’s coach on her power-hitting

While she was selected to play for Maharashtra in 2017, Navgire now represents Nagaland. She created history in the Senior Women’s T20 Trophy earlier this year, hammering 162 off 76 for Nagaland against Arunachal. The terrific knock made her the only Indian (man or woman) to score over 150 in a T20 match.

Asked to shed some light on the batter's amazing big-hitting prowess, her coach replied:

“She is a natural power-hitter. I don’t know the exact reason but she once told me that her strength comes from helping out on her family’s farm as a child and from the variety of sports she played growing up. She used to throw shot put and javelin, maybe that’s the secret of her power-hitting.”

The 27-year-old experienced mixed fortunes in the Women’s T20 Challenge. Turning out for Velocity, she hammered 34-ball 69 against Trailblazers. In the next match against the Supernovas, she was dismissed for a 13-ball duck.