VISAKHAPATNAM: The youngest player in the under-19 world cup women's winning Indian squad Mohammad Shabnam is now targeting a berth in the senior Indian Women's Team. With the winning of the under-19 World Cup, the aggressive fast bowler 15-year-old Shabnam decided to focus on IPL and the senior women's team.
Though the celebrations are continuing with the parents, friends, and relatives, the 5 feet 10 inches tall girl set eyes to make her debut in IPL. The auction of players would take place in the first week or the second week of February.
Shabnam landed in the city on Thursday from South Africa and was received by the cricket association representatives with a grand welcome at the airport. "I felt a little bit nervous in my international debut match against South Africa after seeing the huge crowd. I got only one wicket. My coach put confidence in me and gave me the second chance against UAE in which I bowled three overs and got one wicket," the daughter of a fireman in defence said.
The Right Arm Fast bowler added that the wicket has become flat day by day. Because of that, only the Indian team played with one pace bowler. "Bowling coach says that the Indian Women's cricket team needs pace bowlers as it has only one pace bowler Pooja. If I develop my pace furthermore and maintain consistency, I will definitely get a berth in the senior India team in a year and a half. I am confident about it," Shabnam hoped.
With the experience of the Under 19 World Cup, she is now preparing to prove herself in the IPL too. "I will go bowling in the nets after a couple of days to recover mentally. I need to bring a little bit of variation in my bowling to get more wickets and get a berth in the senior team," Shabnum said.
Her father Mohammad Shakeel and mother Eswaramma, both employees in the defence wing are in a jubilant mood. Shakeel says that his daughter needs more experience. "She is only 15 and got the chance to play international cricket. She needs to play more matches to gain experience in the international arena. She should cope with the pressure. She should strive hard to get a place in the senior team. We need to work out on her weak points now," he said.
