Ravi Kalpana: A trailblazer who changed the face of Andhra women''s cricket

Visakhapatnam, Oct 7 (PTI) “I don’t know what to say. I never expected this,” Ravi Kalpana’s words trembled with emotion and pride while talking about Andhra Cricket Association’s decision to name a stand after her on October 12.

Kalpana, who overcame a modest family background to realise her cricketing dreams, would have liked her career to stretch beyond seven ODIs, but those feeble numbers mask a story of epic proportions.

The 29-year-old is the first Andhra woman cricketer to wear India colours back in 2015 when she made her debut against New Zealand in Bengaluru, and it is of little wonder why ACA selected her for the honour along with former India skipper Mithali Raj.

“When ACA president and secretary called me to convey the decision, I was in tears. More than me, my parents were feeling the pride, and they said it’s the same feeling when I made my India debut a decade back,” Kalpana told PTI.

Along with her national debut, Kalpana broke a glass ceiling and inspired the cricketing journey of several young Andhra women cricketers.

Since Kalpana’s playing career ended in 2016, Arundhati Reddy, Anusha Bareddy, Sneha Deepti, Shabnam Shakil, Sree Charani and S Meghana have made their India debut, and all of them view her as an elder sister and role model.

Kalpana is quite proud of the fact that she is the flag-bearer of a new dawn in state cricket.

“Before 2015, no one was really interested in cricket here, or knew how to break into the big league. But once I made it to the Indian team, a lot of girls came forward. Parents began to think that: ‘Ok, there is a career in cricket or sports in general,” said Kalpana, who now mentors Andhra senior and Under-23 women teams.

For a few moments, Kalpana travelled back to her budding days when she had to depend on a stipend of Rs 4000 from ACA to meet her expenses.

“In 2009, when I started playing cricket, I really did not know much about the sport or did not have the money to buy cricket kits. When I played for districts, the stipend was Rs 2000, which became Rs 4000 when I started playing for the state.

“It actually helped players from middle-class families like me to get some quality playing material, and helped us to improve our standards,” she said.

But her struggles did not go in vain, and Kalpana said she can see some visible changes at ground level.

“Now, there are a lot of playing facilities even at school level which were not there earlier — good ground, quality pitches, and all kids can access good cricket equipment. More importantly, a lot of more girls are coming forward to take up the sport, which is a good sign, and the association is also trying to improve facilities.

“You can see the difference. Earlier there was only one Ravi Kalpana in the Indian team (from the state of Andhra), now you have some 5-6 players and there is a new girl — Sharanya — is coming up. Even Smriti Mandhana was recently enquiring about her. So, I would like to think that we have brighter days ahead,” she said, and added that the Women's Premier League has given ample opportunity for young players to share the space with some big names.

By the end of a 10-minute conversation, the emotional brittleness in her voice was replaced by quite confidence, mirroring the transformation of cricket in her home state. PTI UNG ATK