Preksha Tiwari and her blue dream

Dwarka: Everyday, several girls sweat through day and night to play for Indian women's cricket team one day. Among all those girls is Preksha Tiwari, 23, who originally hails from Himachal Pradesh and is giving her sweat and blood to make her Indian Women's cricket dream come true.

It was when Preksha was a kid that she'd see her brother playing cricket and started enjoying the game. She says, "I used to ask uncountable questions from my brother about battling, bowling and fielding. One day, I went up to my parents and told them that I also want to play cricket to which they readily agreed and supported me." Currently, Preksha resided with her family in Najafgarh. She is a die-hard fan of Mithali Raj and wants to make India proud exactly like Mithali.

Preksha believes that cricket is something that demands patience and hard work because of the immense competition. Preksha and her brother both dream of becoming a cricketer one day. "My brother and I are trying our level best and working hard so that one day we can wear that blue jersey of the Indian cricket team. My parents are supporting us and we never felt any kind of pressure on us to do something else apart from cricket. The kids of our relatives and our friends are doing jobs but my parents never forced us for anything. For me and my brother, my parents are our pillar of strength.”

In around 2011-2013, Preksha started to play for her school. Later, to join Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association, Dharamshala, she moved back to her homeland in 2013. She says, “The schedule I used to follow for almost 5-6 years in the academy is what I try to follow today also. There, I used to wake up at 5 am to workout. After that, I needed to attend school till 3 pm. After one hour of rest, I with my friends would go for our cricket practice. Now, I have the same schedule, just that I don't go to school anymore, I go to college now.”

During her time in Himachal, whenever Preksha visited her parents in Delhi, she'd go to Arihant Cricket Academy, Dwarka for her cricket practice and meet her coach in Delhi, Abhishek Mankotia. Preksha says that her coach is her inspiration and guide. She says, "Abhishek sir always inspired and encouraged me to play cricket. During the start of my cricket journey, he guided me and taught me the skills of cricket. I'm really thankful to him because he built that confidence in me and my parents that I must follow what my heart says."

In 2018, Preksha came back from Himachal after completing her training. She has also completed her graduation in Physical Education and later pursued Masters's in Yoga. One of Preksha's biggest achievements came in October 2021 when Preksha played for Ranji Trophy for Himachal Pradesh’s team.

“It was a great experience and I was very excited to play Ranji Trophy because it will take me one step closer to my dream. I learned a lot from other players from my seniors and coaches during Ranji. I was happy because I was waiting for this moment for so long. I felt overwhelmed, excited, and nervous when my seniors informed me about my selection for Ranji Trophy. I don’t know what I will do the day I will get a call of my selection for the Indian women's cricket team.”

Right now Preksha is preparing for the Ranji Trophy upcoming in October 2022.

“I’m dedicatedly preparing for upcoming Ranji Trophy matches and I just want to give my 100% for my team and especially for myself. Because my present performances will decide my future. One day I will become a part of the Indian Women Cricket team and will make my parents and country proud.”