Just as Reva Arora walks back to the pavilion after making a quick 50 in a match, her eyes starts searching for her coach, mentor and guide; incidentally, his father Devinder Arora, who had famously coached and groomed Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh during his formative years.

Obviously, Reva has a lot to thank her father for. It was during her visits to Burlton Park with her father and inter-railway championships that made her fall in love with the sport. The 19-year-old talented opener from Jalandhar arrived on the cricket scene about three years ago and after breaking into the Punjab Under-19 side the same year, has never looked back since.

The innings which brought her onto the big stage was against Mumbai last year when she hammered a match-winning knock of 75 during the U-19 inter-state tournament. Subsequently, the hard-hitting batswoman was noticed by the national junior selectors and was drafted into the India U-19 probables camp under coach Anju Jain at Dharamshala in May.

"The call for the India U-19 camp was a surprise for me. But the exposure was definitely enriching. The stress was not only laid on cricket techniques but also on fitness. Moreover, interaction with experienced India players during the camp acted as an added advantage," said Reva. After the camp a shoulder injury put Reva on the bench for two months. With timely rehab and physiotherapy Reva has returned back to action now.

Devender said, "I never pushed her to take up cricket. It was her choice. But now that she is doing well, I would want her to pursue cricket very seriously and aim for the top-level. The BCCI has revamped women cricket in India. With so many tournaments taking place, a hard working player can really shape-up her career in cricket."

... contd.