Madhuri Mehta is a cricketer from India. She was born on November 1, 1991 in Balangir, Odisha. She was the first Odisha cricketer to play for the women’s national squad. In 2012, she played her first Women’s One Day International and Women’s Twenty20 International against the West Indies women’s cricket squad.
Personal Background
Madhuri stated that her father is an inspiration to her. He encouraged her to pursue a career as a cricketer. She also received the support of her other family members, despite the fact that cricket was not considered a sport for girls in her community.
Madhuri’s father, Pradeep Mehta, is still one of the town’s best players. In the 1980s, he was an all-rounder in the Ranji Trophy. Her uncle Binod was a talented left-arm spinner, and her other uncles, Santosh and Sanjaya, have all made significant contributions to Balangir cricket.
She was the first woman from Odisha to make it to the National team. In 2010, Odisha wicket-keeper Kadambini Mohakud made the list of 30 probables for the main team, but was eliminated in the final round by a whisker.
She didn’t know even the fundamentals of the game until 2007, when female cricketers began to play in her district and even represented the state. That’s when she admitted to becoming obsessed with cricket.
She displayed stellar performance in the East zone and got selected to the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore. Arun Naik was Madhuri’s coach. Arun Naik said of Madhuri, “She is a gifted player who can perform under any scenario.” She is technically sound and has consistently fared well in a number of competitions. She is also an excellent fielder.
Career
The 29-year-old ace batsman scored the most runs in the Odisha Cricket Association’s (OCA) Women’s Cricket League on January 2021. Madhuri batted in five matches, scoring 299 runs, including a century and two half-centuries. She was also the captain of the Odisha Red squad, which won the league.
Madhuri was named to India’s women’s team in 2012 and made her debut against the West Indies in Basseterre. However, in 2014, she was dropped from the team. She competed in the Challengers Trophy in Cuttack, where she performed admirably. She was also chosen for the India-A team.
Matches
Madhuri Mehta made her ODI debut in February 2012 alongside Archana Das. She played against West Indies team in India Women tour of West Indies. India batted first in the match and scored 179 runs for 7 wickets. Madhuri Mehta came as the opening batsman and scored 23 runs in 59 balls with a strike rate of 38.98. The West Indies team, however, scored only 108 runs before going all out, giving Indian team a victory of 76 runs.
She played her last ODI match in the same tournament on March 2, 2012. The West Indies team batted first and scored 204 runs for 6 wickets. The Indian team responded poorly to the follow up innings. Madhuri faced only 5 balls and got out for 2 runs. The Indian team concluded the innings with 162 runs for 9 wickets, losing the game.
Madhuri Mehta made her T20 debut against West Indies in the India Women tour of West Indies on February 27, 2012. West Indies batted first and scored 115 runs for 4 wickets. Madhuri debuted for India in the second innings in the second wicket, but got out without scoring a single run. However, the Indian team won the match by 6 wickets, scoring 117 runs in 19.5 overs.
She played her last T20 match on March 2014. She was part of the playing eleven squad for the Women’s World T20 match against the Bangladesh women’s team. India batted first and scored 151 runs for 5 wickets. Madhuri was the 10th position in the batting lineup and therefore could not bat in the match. The Bangladesh team concluded their innings in 72 runs for 8 wickets, giving India a 79 run victory.
Statistics
Madhuri Mehta played in 2 ODI and 3 T20 matches. She scored a total of 25 runs in ODI, 23 being her highest score. Having faced a total of 64 balls, she has an average strike rate of 39.06. Coming to T20, she appeared in 2 innings and scored 23 runs which is also her highest even performance. Facing total 37 balls, she has an average strike rate of 62.16.
Endnote
Madhuri Mehta is a rare talent whose real potential went un refined, unchecked and unblossomed. She entered the national scene with a bang, after delivering stellar performance in the domestic matches. But she could not keep it consistent thereafter. However, she hopes to make an impressive comeback to the national squad and is working hard to achieve this dream.
