by Niki Prasad : Niki Prasad, the captain of India’s under-19 cricket team, is really excited because she dreams of winning the World Cup. She’s working hard and focusing on making that dream come true!
Niki Prasad, the captain of the India women’s Under-19 cricket team, always keeps her promises. Before the Under-19 Asia Cup started in Malaysia, she told a reporter that she wanted to win both the Asia Cup and the Under-19 World Cup.
Eleven days later, she kept part of her promise by helping India win the Asia Cup. They beat Bangladesh by 41 runs in Kuala Lumpur, which made them the first champions of the tournament.
Even though she didn’t play very well in the tournament, the team won all five of their games, which shows she is a great leader.
The Under-19 Asia Cup is not the first time this 19-year-old girl has shown she’s a good leader. Before this big tournaament, she helped another team called India-B win a special series that had teams from India A and South Africa U-19s in a Pune. She also led her team, Karnataka, to victory in a T20 match where they had to protect just 58 runs using four bowlers.
In an interview with CricketNext, Prasad talked about her journey in cricket. She shared how she learned to be a captain and what it was like to play with Samit, who is the son of famous Indian cricketer Rahul Dravid, and other fun stories too.
What does it feel like to play for India when you’re under 19 years old?
I’ve always dreamed of this, and I’m super happy! I’ve worked really hard to begin my cricket journey, and playing in the U19 Asia Cup is just the first step. I know there’s still a lot to do ahead. I want to help India win games and eventually play for the senior team to win the World Cup!
Can you share your story about how you started playing cricket?
When I was six years old, I started playing cricket because my brother played and I wanted to join him. I would go with him to the cricket field, and that’s how I became interested in the game. My mom saw how much I liked it, so she helped me join a special cricket school where I really started learning. I began playing for a club and then tried out for the under-16 team for our state, Karnataka. After that, I got to play for the whole state team! Sometimes, we hear stories about girls not being allowed to play sports. Did you ever have to deal with something like that in your family?
My experience was different. My parents always cheered me on when I started playing cricket, and that meant a lot to me.
Since you do a little bit of everything in cricket, how do you make sure to practice your hitting, throwing, and catching during your training?
I am a cricket player who focuses on hitting the ball really well, but I also want to be good at catching and bowling. My main goal is to practice hitting, so I spend time in the practice area, called the nets, at least two times a week. I work on hitting the ball really hard during those times. Then, I practice catching and throwing once or twice a week too. When I’m in the nets, I also practice my bowling skills.
Many great cricket players come from Karnataka because it has a strong cricket history. Does that make you want to play even better?
At first, I didn’t know much about women’s cricket. When I began playing, Rahul Dravid was really famous in Karnataka and all over India. I saaw him, and once Iam started playing…
