"The kid inside me always wanted to play for India, win a World Cup": Indian pacer Arundhati Reddy

New Delhi [India], September 27 (ANI): Indian pacer Arundhati Reddy revealed the moment which inspired her to play cricket and how the "kid inside her" wants to win the World Cup for Women in Blue.

Arundhati, was speaking to JioStar ahead of the start of Team India's ICC Women's World Cup campaign from September 30 onwards against Sri Lanka in Guwahati.

Speaking to JioStar, the pacer, who has played 11 ODIs for Team India and picked 15 wickets, said that it was India's T20 World Cup win back in 2007, which inspired her to start playing cricket, but it was the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup win at home, featuring legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar "left a mark" on her.

"To be honest, the 2007 T20 World Cup that India won inspired me to start playing cricket, but it was the 2011 World Cup at home, with Sachin sir being part of it and everything that happened that year, that really left a mark on me. The kid inside me always wanted to play for India and win a World Cup for the country. Now, that I have the chance to play a 50-over World Cup at home, I am truly grateful to God for this opportunity. With two matches happening in Vizag, the support is very important. Hopefully, we will win," said Arundhati.

Arundhati revealed that she never wanted to be a fast bowler, but rather a wicketkeeper.

"I never wanted to be a fast bowler. I always wanted to be a wicketkeeper. On my first day at Coach Ganesh Sir's academy, he asked me to bowl, and it all came naturally. A week later, I told my mom I did not want to keep bowling and wanted to be a wicketkeeper. She spoke to him, and he told her that if I wanted to be a keeper, I could find another academy, but if I stayed there, I would be a medium-pacer. That is how my journey as a fast bowler began. Soon after, I was picked for Hyderabad under-19 and then senior-level cricket. It means a lot to me. There was a time in my career when I felt like I might never wear the India jersey again (due to the emergence of pacers like Pooja Vastrakar and Shikha Pandey), and there were many questions about my future. But when I made my comeback and wore the jersey again, it felt really special," she added.

Arundhati made her debut for India in 2018 and featured in two T20 World Cups back in 2018 and 2020. However, finding herself on the sidelines after 2021, a standout season with Delhi Capitals (DC) in the 2024 Women's Premier League (WPL), during which she took nine wickets in eight matches at an average of 28.12 and an economy rate of 7.12, helped her earn her way back to the Indian team and also her ODI debut last year.

Arundhati was notably injured while playing the side's first warm-up match against England in Bengaluru and it is not certain if she will continue in the tournament or not.

India: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana (vc), Pratika Rawal, Harleen Deol, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh, Uma Chetry, Renuka Singh Thakur, Deepti Sharma, Sneh Rana, Sree Charani, Radha Yadav, Amanjot Kaur, Arundhati Reddy, Kranti Gaud. Reserves: Tejal Hasabnis, Prema Rawat, Priya Mishra, Minnu Mani, Sayali Satghare. (ANI)

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