Bilaspur (Himachal Pradesh) [India], November 5 (ANI): All-rounder Samaira Raghav, roped in by Gujarat Giants (GG) for Rs 10 lakh ahead of the upcoming Women's Premier League (WPL) season, opened up on her cricketing journey and desire to pick the brains of Aussie star Ashleigh Gardner and Indian wicketkeeper-batter Richa Ghosh to improve her six-hitting abilities.
Samaira, 16, was roped in by GG ahead of the WPL 2027 season. She featured in North Delhi Strikers' Delhi Premier League (DPL) winning run this year, with 100 runs in six matches at a strike rate of 131.58. A useful spinner as well, she featured for Delhi in the U19 T20 Trophy this year, scoring 162 runs across seven innings at a strike rate of 216.
Speaking about being roped in by GG, Samaira told ANI, "The first reaction was that I could not even grasp what had just happened, because it is obviously life-changing for me to be picked by the Gujarat Giants. And, you know, I was actually screaming. In that first moment, I just could not understand what had happened. I called my coaches and my family, and all of them were really happy as well."
Reflecting on her cricketing journey, Samaira started playing cricket because of her father, who motivated her to join an academy and mentioned Indian players Pratika Rawal and Shweta Sehrawat among her "greatest motivations".
Yeah, so in my initial days, I started because of my dad. He was the one who motivated me to go to the academy when I wasn't as interested. After that, I kind of picked it up from there and really enjoyed playing. After that, I joined some of my seniors who currently play for Delhi Railways and others. So there's Pratika didi, Shweta didi, and Tanisha Singh. All three of them, I think, have been my greatest motivation, and I really look up to them," she added.
Speaking on her DPL experience, she said that younger players, who do not get to play a lot, get a chance to play with their seniors in DPL.
"And our coaches were so experienced; they helped us tremendously through the whole journey, through all the lows and highs. We ended up winning in the end, so it was a really good experience," she added.
Samaira would like to pick the brains of Aussie all-rounder Gardner about her six-hitting abilities and her routines and mindset.
"Ashleigh Gardner, I think. I really look up to her. She has exceptional six-hitting ability and also performs really well with the ball. I would love to get to know about her routines and what goes through her mind," she said.
Samaira also admitted that India's maiden 50-over Women's World Cup win last year has also inspired her cricketing journey and motivated her to achieve that glory for India whenever she gets a chance.
"When the World Cup final was underway, I was in a hotel room for our domestic season, and all of us were watching together. It was amazing to see, because after overcoming so many hardships, Indian women won the World Cup. It was truly emotional and long overdue. It really inspired my cricketing journey. Seeing women perform on that stage and win the World Cup showed it is no easy feat. It inspired me to want to achieve that for my country as well," she said.
If being given a chance to represent India, Samaira said that she would like to know about Richa's six-hitting abilities, skipper Smriti Mandhana's calmness on the field and absorb Harmanpreet Kaur's "wealth of knowledge".
"First, Richa Ghosh—I would love to know what goes through her mind when she’s hitting those massive sixes. Then Smriti Mandhana; Smriti didi is just amazing—how calm and composed she is on the field and how she leads her team is remarkable. Harman didi has such a wealth of knowledge; I feel like I could absorb so much from all of them," he signed off. (ANI)
Looking up to Ash Gardner, learning from Smriti and Harman: GG's 16-year-old all-rounder Samaira after WPL bid
