International Women's Day 2018: Jhansi woman in US cricket team wants local talent to dream big

JHANSI: It was a grand homecoming for her after five long years in the United States where she had moved to after marriage.
When she had shifted in 2013, she was worried about what fate in the foreign country would do to her passion for cricket.

However, for 33-year-old Jhansi girl Zeenat Kausar, life in the US brought unparalleled success. She has been playing as a medium pace bowler with the American women's cricket team since October 2015.

Now a mother of an infant, her sporting talent has taken her to international matches with Pakistan and England.

Married to a US-based software engineer who is also from Jhansi, Zeenat was born and brought up in the small town but had big dreams. Though a science teacher, she had a keen interest in cricket, thanks to her elder brother. In school and college, Zeenat represented Jhansi district woman's cricket team in 2005 in Allahabad as vice-captain. She also played zonal-level cricket representing the winning central zone in 2007.

In 2008, she played for UP in the All-India Indira Gandhi Priyadarshani Memorial Cricket Tournament. The team was the winner.

Besides, Zeenat has played in a number of district and state-level cricket tournaments during her school and college time and has also participated in UP women's cricket coaching camp in 2009. In the US recently, Zeenat and her team members had an opportunity to interact with master blaster Sachin Tendulkar .

"When my marriage was fixed, I was shattered, thinking that my cricketing career will end. But destiny held something else for me. In America, I got associated with local cricket clubs and a day came when I got this opportunity to play from the country itself," said Zeenat, who is on a long vacation to meet her parents.

During her stay, she wants to motivate young boys and girls to pursue their dreams and encourages them to move ahead.