In an unique dialog with USA Girls’s cricket star Anika Kolan, we dive deep into her exceptional journey from a promising younger participant to an rising star on the earth of cricket. Anika shares her ardour for the game, the challenges she’s confronted, and her future aspirations. Born and raised in California, she found cricket at a younger age by way of her father and older brother, who had been deeply concerned in selling the game domestically. Anika’s preliminary curiosity sparked when she joined her household at a cricket follow, and from that second, she was hooked.
Regardless of the challenges of balancing lecturers with a budding sports activities profession, Anika managed to excel, due to her household’s unwavering assist and her personal disciplined method. Her journey has not been with out obstacles, significantly as a younger lady coming into a sport historically dominated by males. Anika confronted skepticism and discouragement, however her resilience helped her overcome these limitations, making her one of many trailblazers for girls’s cricket within the USA.
Listed below are some highlights from the interview:
Q: Inform us about your cricketing journey, the way it all started?
Anika: So I first began enjoying Cricket due to my dad and my older brother. My brother’s title is Anish and he’s three years older than me so after I first began enjoying cricket I used to be born and introduced up in California and there wasn’t loads of cricket group. To begin with Indian group again then on the time after I first moved into my new neighborhood so my dad my brother and a few different uncles had simply began sort of including a cricket program into native golf equipment, native faculties they usually had been closely concerned in that however my mother and I sort of like stepped away we had been targeted on our research and issues like that however one time my mother and I had been doing math homework at dwelling and I simply wished a break from the mathematics homework so I went with my brother and my dad to get dropped off at cricket follow and from there I simply acquired actually . I used to be instantly intrigued, began asking questions after which every week later I used to be enrolled in my first ever summer time camp and from the age of 9 or 10 to now 18 that’s simply the way it began.
Q: How did you handle your research whereas enjoying cricket?
Anika: It wasn’t that straightforward, so in junior yr of my highschool so my eleventh grade however I performed within the 2023 just like the inaugural U19 World Cup and for that I needed to take the primary half of my junior yr on-line as a result of it was simply a lot touring. I traveled twice to Dubai that yr already, there have been going to be camps election camps and naturally the World Cup so with that in fact with my dad and mom assist we had been in my faculty counselor’s workplace two or thrice every week for an hour every time mainly and yeah it was simply loads of convincing and naturally my faculty did assist out rather a lot, however yeah it was undoubtedly not straightforward however I believe discovering the correct amount of steadiness and prioritizing every time you may.
I believe it comes with loads of sacrifice, realizing that cricket is simply now rising within the USA so simply these occasions the place you need to loosen up and also you need to push your homework for later as an alternative taking the initiative to do your homework first or put your research first after which make that free further time and put that in direction of your follow in direction of your health in your cricket. I believe discovering that steadiness is admittedly essential however I believe when you set a routine or in the event you’re adaptable that’s even higher I believe when you simply discover these little pockets of time so that you can simply put work into cricket and your research I believe you will get by way of it but it surely’s undoubtedly not straightforward.
Q: Who’re your function fashions?
Anika: I believe within the girls’s cricket recreation proper now can be Laura Wolvaardt I simply assume that I imply her batting is simply so mesmerizing the power that she brings onto the sphere is simply completely gorgeous and it’s one thing that I need to continue learning each time I see her.
One other can be Sindhu Sriharsha. I imply the girl’s cricket would simply in California within the US within the Affiliate Nations it could simply not be the identical with out her and I believe that the sort of Legacy that she has, you may discuss it nevertheless many occasions you need however it could simply by no means match as much as the quantity of effort and the quantity of consistency and keenness she has for the sport but in addition rising it and I believe it’s identical to um prefer it’s not only for herself and he or she’s one of the selfless folks I do know as a result of she’s doing this simply not for herself however for a complete group of ladies and I do know she’s impressed 1000’s and 1000’s of ladies together with myself so she was undoubtedly be my greatest inspiration.
Additionally READ: An Unique Interview with USA captain Sindhu Sriharsha: Cricketing idol, Imaginative and prescient for USA staff and Message for aspiring cricketers
Q: How do you handle the twin duty of each a wicketkeeper and a batter?
Anika: I believe it’s a fully superb feeling to have that duty within the first place. It’s one thing that I believe wicket maintaining is certainly my secure area every time perhaps batting just isn’t in a knock or something I believe maintaining is one thing that may all the time go to and it makes me really feel in my zone makes me really feel in management and having the duty being each a batter and a wicket keeper I believe retains me on my toes however I believe greater than that it helps me will get me get me extra within the recreation, get extra concerned seeing each angle and there’s a lot to be taught whenever you’re behind the stumps seeing how the batter is enjoying but in addition how the sphere is sort of reacting to the scenario there’s a lot to be taught there and as a batter seeing what I can do to control the sphere and issues like that so I believe the duty is totally superb. It’s among the best emotions ever.
Q: How did it really feel to steer the USA U19 staff?
Anika: I imply being captain of the underneath 19 staff within the West Indies in Trinidad I imply what are you able to say about that that’s simply one of the, listening to that telephone name and realizing that I acquired appointed that place it was simply essentially the most humbling and it’s simply very grateful I’ll maintain it very near my coronary heart and I believe it was simply truthfully an incredible tour and I’m simply really so blessed to be on the USA staff as a result of I believe the way in which that our staff camaraderie works we’re identical to second household with one another and I believe due to that it was simply so superb to work with these women on and off the sphere and we’re like household to one another so I believe that it was simply an incredible tour a lot of studying processes however yeah it was undoubtedly very rewarding we tied that sequence two to 2 it acquired rained out as an alternative of the three the 5 sequence video games however yeah simply an impeccable honor that I maintain very near my coronary heart.
Q: What has been essentially the most memorable second in your profession thus far?
Anika: I believe my ODI debut in opposition to PNG that we had earlier this yr in April in Dubai. I believe that’s acquired to be considered one of my most memorable expertise not as a result of it was simply me making my debut however formally it was our complete complete staff making our debut collectively so I believe simply all of us taking that massive leap making our debut collectively hand in hand simply conquering a brand new sequence, new format and simply going into the sequence collectively united as a staff. I believe realizing that each one of us are backing one another I’ve the backing of my staff um assist workers and everybody having that sort of assist and that feeling I believe that’s very particular to me and that’s what makes this staff so so particular, so that will be a really memorable for me.
Q: Your all-time favorite 5 cricketers?
Anika: Laura Wolvaardt, Alyssa Healy, Quinton de Kock, Virat Kohli after which I believe Smriti Mandhana.
Watch the total interview:
Additionally READ: An unique interview with UAE’s youngest captain Natasha Cherriath: Cricketing journey, function fashions and imaginative and prescient for the way forward for girls’s cricket
This text was first revealed at WomenCricket.com, a Cricket Occasions firm.
