The skill that Indian left-arm spinner Rajeshwari Gayakwad possesses is awe-inspiring.
Gayakwad really created an impression when she became the tenth highest wicket taker in an ODI series in women's cricket when she picked up 25 wickets from 16 matches of the ICC Women's Championship at an average of 19.32 and an economy rate of just 3.43 with the best of 4/21.
The left arm spinner has featured for India in two test matches, 47 ODIs and 34 T20Is and has picked up 5, 75 and 44 wickets respectively. She has been sensational in white ball cricket and has an average of under 20 in both ODIs and T20Is. Her economy rate has also been exceptional as she has given away runs at just 3.4 RPO in 50 over cricket.
Gayakwad was part of the Indian world cup squad which made it to the final of the 2017 ODI world cup, only losing to hosts England by 9 runs at Lord's. In fact, in the first match which she played in that World Cup against New Zealand, she picked up 5 wickets while conceding just 15 runs which are her best figures in ODI cricket.
She shares her experience and that of the team after a heart-breaking loss in the final.
"On the day of the final, we all were excited and it was a proud moment for all of us. We all played well but lost to the host with a small margin of 9 runs. We were in a winning position until 200 runs. Due to quickly losing wickets, we lost the final match. Winning and losing are a part of the game. On the 23rd night, we did not sleep and our dressing room had pin drop silence. Our coach (Tushar Arothe) entered the room with a smile on his face and tried to motivate us. He told us,'you all have played well in World Cup 2017 and don’t worry about losing this match'. It gave us some sort of motivation."
"On the day when I reached my home state Bangalore, I received a grand welcome from my family, friends, and fans. All the leading news channels and reporters were waiting for me to know my experience from the World Cup. I didn’t expect it before I reached Bengaluru. Now wherever I go, people stop me to take selfies and autographs."
The 30-year-old Karnataka bowler still has a lot of cricket left in her and will go on to take 100 wickets each in ODI and T20 cricket.
