India women's cricket: Lone muslim cricketer Nuzhat says more girls from her community will play

Bengaluru, August 9: She was the only Muslim cricketer to have been in the women's Indian squad that was runners-up in the recently concluded World Cup in England. She is Nuzhat Parween from Singrouli, a small township in Madhya Pradesh.

Nuzhat did not get opportunity to take part in a single match in the World Cup as she was selected in the squad as the second wicket-keeper.

The 21-year old girl while speaking on Tuesday from Singrouli revealed, "I had a priceless gift before the World Cup. I was selected in the first eleven against Ireland match in India's preparatory tour in South Africa and on the particular day our captain Mithali Raj gave me the 'cap'.

"It will be very special to me throughout my life."

Nuzhat added, "Although I did not get opportunity to play in the World Cup I had rare experience of practicing with the cricketers like Mithali Raj, Jhulan Goswami, and Harmanpreet Kaur. It was huge experience of sharing nets and dressing room them. I have learned a lot from watching them. "

Nuzhat's journey was not at all easy in the beginning she started exposing herself out of the conservativeness in their community. Her father Masi Ali and mother Nasima Begum had to face a lot of social hurdles when Nuzhat used to go out of home and played with the boys.

That time Nuzhat used to play football. Even she had represented under-15 MP team in the sub-junior national football championship. The relatives and the friends of Parween family often had mocked at them.

Even some among those people strongly made protest asking why a girl from a Muslim family would go out of the home and play with boys at ground. But Nuzhat's parents were so progressive that they firmly stood by their daughter and encouraged her to continue.

Despite playing football, Nuzhat turned out to be a cricketer courtesy one of her state's senior cricketer Haripriya Das who once included Nuzhat in a district team and there Nuzhat played as a wicket-keeper for the first time. That was only five years ago.

Then she did not have to look back and got into the senior Indian women's squad in the T-20 international against West Indies.

Nuzhat asserted saying, "I believe more girls from Muslim community will now come forward and try to become cricketer after watching me. That will also be a big gift for me."