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When passion pulled her through


One look at S. Krishnamurthy Sravanthi Raj Naidu and you wouldn’t guess she is one of Hyderabad’s leading all-rounders and has represented the Indian women’s team in two World Cups. Her self-effacing and humble manner means she flies under the radar more often than not.

Like many before her, Sravanthi started off playing ‘gully cricket’ with the boys. “I used to enjoy playing gully cricket. I would try to copy Rahul Dravid’s technique even then. When I found out about women’s cricket coaching in Keyes High School, I joined the camp there,” says Sravanthi, who represented India in the ICC Women’s World T20 held in Bangladesh earlier this year.

“It was an absolutely wonderful experience”, says the left-arm spinner from Hyderabad. “It was my first time playing in a T20 World Cup and I really enjoyed it. I had never played under lights before so that took some getting used to. It was very different,” admits Sravanthi. In Sylhet, where India played all of its league matches, the stadiums were packed even for the women’s games. “Playing in front of large crowds was exciting. The Bangladeshi spectators were extremely encouraging. They used to shout out our names when we were patrolling the boundary. I got to sign a few autographs as well.”

As a team, India didn’t do too well, but Sravanthi’s performances were credible. She grabbed two ‘Woman of the Match’ awards in the preceding series against Bangladesh and also bowled India to victory against Pakistan in their final game of the World Cup, picking up 2 wickets for 12 runs in a low scoring encounter. “It felt great having succeeded on the big stage. I can proudly say that I have done well for India,” she adds with a smile on her face.

Sravanthi’s journey to the top, though, was not smooth sailing. Like all sportspersons she faced many setbacks. As a promising junior cricketer, she lived up to the initial expectations, making her Test and One Day International debut at the age of 19 against England. She did not set the world alight with her performances, but Sravanthi definitely showed some ability, taking 2 wickets in the first innings. 

Unfortunately, she was dropped for the next series and wandered in the wilderness of domestic cricket for the next 4 years. The gutsy all rounder caught the selectors’ attention once again with some consistent performances and managed to fight her way back into the Indian team for the 2009 World Cup in Australia. “At that stage, I was never sure what my role was. I didn’t know whether I was picked as a batsman who can bowl or a bowler who can bat. I would bowl a couple of overs and then bat low down the order. I obviously felt a lot of pressure to perform in the limited opportunities I got.”  This confusion didn’t help Sravanthi as she failed to make any real mark on the tournament picking up only one wicket in the entire tournament.

Another 5 years in the wilderness and she has returned with a bang. With a clearer role and a stronger head on her shoulders, Sravanthi managed to take the chances that came her way. “[Before this] at the International level, I never managed to make a significant contribution. This time around I was more confident and kept telling myself to believe that I am the best. I worked really hard to fight my way back into the team and it has been worth it.”


Despite all the disappointments she has faced, Sravanthi has always been extremely positive about her chances of making a comeback. “I have always felt that if you come up with brilliant performances in the domestic circuit you will be there. If you do really well, there is no way you will not make it. I just try my best to answer my critics with the bat and ball,” she says. “Most importantly, I have learnt that you must enjoy what you do. It is always those who play with passion that usually succeed in the longer run.”

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