The Gujarat Giants picked her for WPL 2024, but Priya couldn\u2019t play a game as the team\u2019s poor performance led to them finishing in last place again. By keeping Priya, who has good control over her googly, in the team instead of the experienced international player Sneh Rana, the side indicated their confidence in Priya\u2019s potential for future success.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Strong performances in domestic cricket, including picking 23 scalps for Delhi in 2023\/24 Senior Women\u2019s One-Day Trophy meant Priya was selected for India \u2018A\u2019 tour of Australia in August, where her breakout moment came in picking 5-14 in the third 50-over game at Mackay.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Priya, who could have played earlier in the tour if not for a hand injury, gained immediate confidence by dismissing Maddy Darke on her first ball. She went on to also claim the wickets of Nicole Faltum, Tess Flintoff, Kate Peterson, and Nicola Hancock in a stunning spell to give India \u2018A\u2019 their first win of the tour.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cI was confident that I was doing well, when I got the wicket on the first ball. They were not able to read my balls and couldn\u2019t realise where it was going. So, when I was bowling to them, nothing was going on in my mind.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cOnly one thought was there - I just wanted to win the match for my team and get as many scalps as possible, because my main role is to get the wickets. After the match was over, they were asking me how I bowl and many such questions. I told them I don\u2019t know English, so, I didn\u2019t talk much with them,\u201d said Priya to IANS in an exclusive conversation before leaving for India\u2019s three-match ODI series against Australia, starting on December 5 in Brisbane.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
With the clash against a formidable Australian team looming, Priya thinks her previous experience of playing in Australia as an \u2018A\u2019 team member will be beneficial. \u201cAt that time, I thought I have got this golden chance to adapt to the pitches and don\u2019t want to let go of it.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cI wanted to go for as many wickets to be picked as possible and stuck to whatever worked for me from the start. By playing on those wickets in A team tour, I now know the wickets there, and I will be ready in adapting to bowling on those pitches with bounce.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cI have been watching their videos, like of Ellyse Perry\u2019s batting, and she\u2019s a very strong batter. Plus, Australia is the most important team in women\u2019s cricket and we have to win against them.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The \u201cA\u201d team tour of Australia provided Priya with her debut experience bowling with a red Kookaburra ball in the four-day match held in Gold Coast, where she ended up securing figures of 4-58 and 2-59. \u201cFrom one end, I was taking wickets and from the other end, Minnu (Mani) di was picking scalps. I didn\u2019t have any nervousness in bowling with red-ball, I just had in my mind that I have the ball in hand and just aim to pick wickets.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cThe SG ball is a little bigger, turns a lot and comes better off the hand, while the Kookaburra ball is a little smaller, it\u2019s seam is a little inside, and doesn\u2019t turn much. So, I didn\u2019t think much about the differences in the ball and I just had to bowl wicket to wicket, and the scalps came eventually.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Beyond cricket, Priya found valuable friends in Raghavi Bist, Shweta Sehrawat, Mannat Kashyap, and Uma Chetry. They supported her in navigating the challenge of finding pure vegetarian food in Australia and were there for her when she was sick.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cAustralia is a beautiful country, like there was no pollution. Raghvi helped me the most on tour. I get scared when I sleep alone in the room. After I got sick, she put me in her room, and didn\u2019t leave me alone. Raghvi also used to bring food for me from downstairs. I once started vomiting at night, so Raghavi along with a mam in the team took care of me. At that time, all my teammates were supporting me to come back to good health.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
From there, Priya got a call-up for the ODI series against New Zealand, of which she got to know by being added to the team\u2019s WhatsApp group. She eventually made her debut in the second ODI in Ahmedabad on October 27. \u201cI got to know about my debut on the morning of the match. I informed my family about it and they were very happy. They were saying, \u2018you have got a chance and do well in it\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Priya listened intently to every word as Harmanpreet Kaur, the captain, gave her the cap during the team huddle, an event she still recalls vividly. \u201cShe said to me, \u2018you don\u2019t have to look at your age, as you are the youngest member in the team. So, you don\u2019t have to look at your age. Just aim to bowl your balls well, don\u2019t look at who is playing in front of you, as you have to do what you have been doing from the beginning\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The highlight of her debut was her first international wicket coming in the 32nd over, when Radha Yadav took a diving catch at cover to dismiss Brooke Halliday. Getting Brooke\u2019s scalp was a colossal relief for Priya, who had seen Radha and Deepti Sharma miss catches of her bowling previously.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
In the final ODI, Priya stepped up by castling Sophie Devine with a googly and then getting Georgia Plimmer to give a diving catch to first slip off her leg-break. By pointing to the pitch with her index finger in the post wicket-taking celebration, Priya made it clear she\u2019s not out of the game and shouldn\u2019t be overlooked.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cAt that time in the second ODI, I didn\u2019t feel like I would get the wicket. But in the second last over, when Radha di caught the catch, I was overjoyed that I finally got the wicket on debut.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cI usually do that celebration on getting the wicket; it means that abhi mei baaki hoon (I am still there) to take the wicket. Getting New Zealand batters out was so delightful, as they were not able to read my googlies. I was left wondering, \u2018How did that happen?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Priya also attributes her success in her debut series to the support of her India teammates. \u201cThe team was explaining to me after bowling every ball. Even if I was missing getting the wickets or being hit for boundaries, they would still come and explain to me where should I bowl, adding that I shouldn\u2019t get nervous. Everyone was very supportive of me.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Priya\u2019s remarkable rise is credited to her coach, Shravan Kumar, who transformed her bowling style from a medium-pace to a leg-spin. \u201cShravan sir always explains everything to me. He keeps on calling me, even on those days if I don\u2019t play well, and says, it\u2019s a part of the game, and just play well in the next match. He made me a leg-spinner, as he felt my height was small for a medium-pacer and from there, it\u2019s been no looking back.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The strong and unwavering support from her family, originally hailing from Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh, is something Priya deeply appreciates. \u201cMy mummy, papa and sister have supported me a lot. They never told me to study. Even when I failed, they didn\u2019t say anything.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cThey just told me to focus on cricket, and never forced me to study. My father used to take me with him to the stadium, as at that time, I was aspiring to play for the state. He didn\u2019t even look at his job, as his priority was to take me for matches wherever it happened in Delhi.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cEveryone in home is very happy and excited whenever I do well. Like, they call me and say, \u2018Oh wow, you have taken three or five wickets\u2019. Such is the case that other people call my family and say to them, \u2018Your daughter has done very well today\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Priya, with unwavering resolve in her gentle voice, outlines her aspirations: to contribute to India\u2019s triumphs, starting with the Australia tour, and ultimately to achieve the pinnacle of winning the ODI and T20 World Cups. As Priya prepares to leave her mark in Australia by picking a bagful of wickets, the cricketing world will be eager to watch this spin star with a lethal googly rise to greater heights.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cEveryone in home is very happy and excited whenever I do well. Like, they call me and say, \u2018Oh wow, you have taken three or five wickets\u2019. Such is the case that other people call my family and say to them, \u2018Your daughter has done very well today\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
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