T20 Mumbai Women’s League | ‘Grateful to get opportunity at such an early age’: Swara Jadhav on being the youngest player in league

SOBO Mumbai Falcons’s Swara Jadhav celebrates an Aakash Tigers wicket at the Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday

The Mumbai Cricket Association's T20 Mumbai League's (TML) youngest player, 13-year-old Swara Jadhav picked an impressive 3-19 to help SOBO Mumbai Falcons (SMF) outclass Aakash Tigers in the T20 Mumbai Women's League match at the Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday.

Bowling her left-arm spin, Swara supported her skipper and pace ace Sayali Satghare (4-29) as SMF registered their second successive win in the tournament.

Swara Jadhav's father Sudip

Chembur resident Swara, was born in Mumbai before her family shifted base to the USA in 2016, when she was just four, due to her father's job placement there. However, her father Sudip decided to shift Swara and her mother back to Mumbai for the girl's cricketing prospects. "It was difficult to leave the US because my school and daily life was set there. I was studying in Class IV there when I moved back to Mumbai. But I moved for a good reason, my cricket, so I'm glad," Swara told mid-day on Wednesday.

When asked what it feels like to be the youngest player in the tournament, Swara replied "Not everyone gets this opportunity at such an early age, so I'm grateful. Yes, there is pressure, I'll just try and give my 100 per cent. The coaches and my captain Sayali have been supporting me well."

Swara did not just bowl economically, but also excelled with her variations, dismissing three key batters to restrict Aakash Tigers to 113-9 in their allotted 20 overs. "My role in the team is to bowl as many dot balls as I can," she said.

Meanwhile, dad Sudip, who is currently in Mumbai to watch his daughter playing, said that her performance comes as no surprise. "Swara started playing in the USA and was doing well so we decided to shift her and her mother to Mumbai for better prospects in cricket. She's known for her bowling, but her main forte is her batting. She's a genuine all-rounder. Pravin Amre sir and her Modern English School [Chembur] coaches, including Sarvesh Damle sir, look after her training," Jadhav Sr told mid-day on Wednesday.