Who is Mahika Gaur, England Women's pace sensation, who made her international debut for UAE at age of 12

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Mahika Gaur, the latest England Women pace sensation, is making all the right noises. The 6-feet-two-inch tall pacer is part of the ongoing three-match T20I series against India Women. In the first T20I in Mumbai, Mahika Gaur bowled two overs for 18 runs without taking any wicket.

But her beautiful action and Indian origin has become the talk of the town. As per reports, Mahika's family has roots in the Indian state of Rajasthan. In fact, she first thought of becoming a cricketer while watching an IPL match in Jaipur in 2011.

“I was practicing bowling in the garden. I think my father was surprised that I could roll my arms completely without hitting the ball,” Gaur said in April this year.

“He was a left-arm bowler in college but could never do his cricket thing. But when he saw that I had potential, he was always on board," she had added about his Emirati father.

The 17-year-old made his international debut back in 2019 when just 12 years of age. She enrolled herself in the ICC Academy during her time in the UAE. This is where she met the future UAE Women captain Chaya Mughal.

At the age of 17 years and 175 days, Mahika Gaur is the youngest cricketer in the world to represent two countries. In her debut T20I match for England on August 31, 2023, Mahika Gaur picked the wicket of Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu.

She made her ODI debut for England (also her overall debut in the format) on September 9, 2023. The left-arm pace registered figures of three for 26 in 6.2 overs.

Mahika Gaur considers former India captain MS Dhoni and Australia left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc as her inspiration. She has picked 10 wickets in her 21-match T20I career. The two ODI games have seen her pick four wickets at an average of 13.75.