WPL 2023: UP Warriorz' Kiran Navgire dreamt of playing cricket after watching MS Dhoni lift 2011 World Cup

Mumbai, March 2: Kiran Navgire has proven her ability as a big hitter over the course of her career in the Indian domestic circuit.

Navgire - the hard-hitter from Solapur - is also the first Indian cricketer to score more than 150 runs in a T20 match. Her inspiration for the prowess wasn't surprising.

In an episode of 'Know Your Stars' on JioCinema, Navgire said, "I only followed MS Dhoni and didn't watch many others, but I did watch Chris Gayle and Virender Sehwag. These three players have been my idols in my cricket journey."

In the last two years, Navgire has taken massive leaps and made her WT20I debut for India in September 2022. She revealed what Mithali Raj and Smriti Mandhana had to say after her state-level debut in 2018, "My first ball in my state-level debut went out of the ground, so Mithali didi complimented my strength and told me I could succeed in cricket. Smriti Mandhana was also there, and she told me that if I worked on improving my skills, I could play more cricket. Mandhana and Raj are the Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar of women's cricket."

Her cricketing journey eventually led to her being signed by the U.P. Warriorz for the inaugural edition of the WPL. Navgire expects to benefit from the tournament, familiarizing herself with the way international players play, "Many girls like me are very excited because we get fewer matches to play in for domestic ODIs and T20s. This is a great platform for women to play against and alongside international players to learn and develop new routines."

The 27-year-old from Solapur didn't envision herself as the upcoming star she is now, excelling in athletics through her formative years. However, the 2011 Men's World Cup led her to shift her focus to cricket, "Watching India win the 2011 Men's Cricket World Cup, there was one massive name on the team, Mahendra Singh Dhoni. I started following him in 2011 and I didn't even know that there was something called women's cricket. I watched men's cricket and played with boys in my village and started liking cricket."

"My father is a farmer and our family background wasn't good enough to provide me with equipment. But I knew I liked hitting sixes and told my coach that I will continue athletics, but I want to play cricket as well," Navgire said.

Catch the 'Know Your Stars' episodes exclusively on JioCinema.