Not many of those residents in the Tarnaka residential locality in the city, who have seen a young Y. Trisha Poojitha being taken on a two-wheeler by her father or her brother to the far-off Legala Cricket Academy in Lingampally would have ever imagined that this young talent would hog the limelight one day.
This young cricketer is on cloud nine now after being picked up by Gujarat Giants in the recent Women’s Premier League (WPL) auction.
But, Poojitha has always been a very confident girl pursuing her passion in the sport thanks to her brother Ruthvik (he played for Hyderabad under-16) being the inspiration when she started playing cricket at the age of eight.
Remarkably, southpaw Poojitha, who has represented Hyderabad in three age groups - under-16, 19 and 23 years - reposed the faith the selectors had in her by being the top-scorer for the State team in the last five years, including senior women’s T20 tournament.
Born in Bhadrachalam, Poojitha moved over to Hyderabad along with her father and brother with the specific intent of making it big in cricket.
“My mom (a school headmaster) keeps shuttling but my father and brother take care of my interest in the sport. They are the ones who are primarily responsible for helping me to keep improving by taking me on their two-wheelers to the coaching centre,” 21-year-old Poojitha says in a chat with Sportstar.
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“Yes, it is a great honour to play in the Women’s Premier League. Honestly, I was not expecting the call but at the same time, determined to be a consistent performer. The franchise has a couple of big names from Australia. I am looking forward to learning a lot,” said the all-rounder, who is a huge fan of India captain Rohit Sharma.
She was first coached by Srinivas at Swayamkrushi before moving on to Salam Bayash’s LCA (who groomed India star N. Tilak Varma from his childhood). The third-year degree student in Data Sciences, who trains six to seven hours daily, looks for consistency and believes that the WPL could well be a huge turning point in her career.
“Definitely, for all cricketers, it is a terrific platform which helps one showcase their talent but also pushes them closer to bigger things,” said Poojitha, who is also mentored by former India fielding coach R. Sridhar at the Ravi Shastri-run ‘Coaching Beyond’ in the city.
For someone who had a century for the Hyderabad under-19 team in the 2015-16 season to serve as a reminder of her talent and skills, Poojitha is now dreaming big - to play in the T20 World Cup and help India win matches.
“Yes, that is the big target and I will really work hard and use every opportunity provided to realise that goal,” she concluded.
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