Trisha: from bylanes of Bhadrachalam to U-19 women winning cricket team

She is a fighter and a keen learner, says her father

For any parent, it is all about making the right decision at the right time. And, when G. Rami Reddy put his daughter G. Trisha into cricket because he felt that since in his family most of them were not tall so cricket was a better choice than hockey or tennis!

Now 17-year-old Trisha made not just the family but also the entire country proud, playing a key role in India winning the women’s World Cup (Under-19) cricket championship in South Africa and Mr. Rami Reddy has every reason to look back with a sense of pride.

“The moment I realised that height could be a problem with Trisha, I decided cricket was the better option and I am glad that she has lived up to my expectation,” said a visibly delighted father in a chat with The Hindu.

From the bylanes of Bhadrachalam where he worked with the ITC, Rami Reddy used to conduct coaching camps and ironically Trisha was the only girl playing cricket, the rest were all boys.

“When I visited quite a few camps in Hyderabad, I was impressed with the scientific approach and quality coaching being given to the kids. Then, I thought unless I shift my base to Hyderabad, Trisha might not have a future in the game,” recalled the father who was a State-level hockey player and quit because he felt his lack of height would not take him too far.

“I quit my job in 2013 and focussed fully on grooming my daughter. From childhood, she has always been a fighter, keen learner and never said no to any amount of training,” Mr. Rami Reddy said.

“When I joined her in the St. John’s Coaching Foundation after showing her videos of batting, when she was seven, John Sir and coach Srinivas sir were highly impressed. I believe that was the decisive moment of our whole planning. They also saw that she switched to leg-spin from pace bowling and worked a lot on her batting too,” he recalled. “We are also grateful to RVSR Murthy sir (SCR) for all the encouragement,” he added.