It was meant to be: Young India spinner Vaishnavi on cricket career
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New Delhi (PTI): It was written in the stars, or so believed her father.
Long before Vaishnavi Sharma picked up a cricket ball, she says her future as a sportsperson was known to her astrologer father, Narendra Sharma. The 20-year-old left-arm spinner from Gwalior made her India debut in the T20 International format just last year in a home series against Sri Lanka.
"When I was four years old, my journey in sports began. As you all know, my father is an astrologer. He looked at my horoscope and said that I should either go into sports or into the medical field," Vaishnavi told 'PTI Videos'.
"After that, it was a question of where my own interest was. After some time, he understood that my interest was in sports. When I was seven, I started playing more seriously, like going for evening practice sessions.
"And when I was 11–12 years old, I played my first Under-16 match for Madhya Pradesh. It wasn't under the BCCI then, but that’s where my journey really started," she recalled.
In the five-match series against Sri Lanka, she finished as the joint-highest wicket-taker for India with five scalps. The youngster says she has been certain about cricket from the very first day.
"When I started cricket, this was always my goal. I never focused on any other goal. Whenever I go to the ground, I just forget everything else, because the feeling I get after playing cricket, I don't get it from anything else," she said.
"I can't sit idle at home. Even if I'm doing my favourite things, when I have that love for cricket, I don't think about anything else," she added.
Her journey, however, hasn't been without disappointment. Vaishnavi admitted she had hoped to be picked by a franchise during the Women's Premier League auction before the Sri Lanka call-up but when it did not happen, she felt disappointed.
However, she ensured that it didn't affect her performance at a domestic age-group event.
"Of course, it feels very bad when you have expectations. I had them too, and I felt really bad. But I was playing a tournament at that time, so my whole focus was on my team. Under-23 was a big stage for me, so I kept my focus only on that," she said.
"Then I thought that I can only do what is in my hands and leave the rest to God. And when I left it to God, He gave me something even better."
Instead of dwelling on the setback, Vaishnavi focussed herself on domestic cricket, determined to control what she could.
"I never showed that disappointment on the field. I was sad in my room, I spoke to my family. My friends, parents, brother and seniors all called me.
"Yes, I was a little sad, but I never let that come onto the ground. I focused on what I had in my hands, and at that time, it was Under-23 cricket for Madhya Pradesh," she said.
A few weeks later, her perseverance paid off with a maiden India call-up and she said walking into a dressing room filled with World Cup winners was an emotional moment.
"I was very nervous. I was thinking, what will their reaction be, what will they say, how will I start the conversation? But when I reached there, everyone welcomed me warmly, spoke to me and made me feel very comfortable. I bonded really well with them," she said.
Despite now being teammates, Vaishnavi admits to being a fan of captain Harmanpreet Kaur.
"I will always have those butterflies that I am going to meet Harman di. They are big stars. I used to watch them on television and now I am playing with them. So the butterflies and excitement will always be there," she smiled.
Vaishnavi says she idolises Harmanpreet’s fighting spirit, while Smriti Mandhana inspires her approach to the game.
"Smriti di and Harman di are my role models. I once saw an interview of Smriti di where she said that even if she contributes for the team, she celebrates that day and then starts again from zero the next morning. From Harman di, I've learnt the never-give-up attitude," she said.
"The best thing about her is that whenever she gives me the ball, she says, 'Go and bowl freely, bowl your best and make the batter dance.' The whole team is very sweet."
On the bowling front, Vaishnavi draws inspiration from Ravindra Jadeja and Radha Yadav for their accuracy and control.
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Virudhunagar firecracker unit blast: Toll climbs to 25, Rs 5.5 lakh ex gratia announced
Virudhunagar (Tamil Nadu) (PTI): With most bodies charred beyond recognition, identification remains difficult, police said on Monday, as the toll in the massive explosion at a fireworks unit near Kattanarpatti here rose to 25.
The Virudhunagar district administration has announced Rs 5.5 lakh ex gratia to the kin of deceased.
The accident is one of the deadliest industrial disasters in the region in recent years.
"Bodies were so badly charred that we were able to identify mostly with jewellery that the victims were wearing," a police official told PTI.
He said that the families have not yet claimed the bodies due to the uncertainly in the identities.
The factory owner is absconding, he added.
The accident occurred at the Vanaja firecracker unit, owned by one Muthumanickam, which functions under the Vachakarapatti police station limits.
The unit is reportedly licensed by the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO), Nagpur.
Post-mortem reports have established that the 25 victims, include 22 women and three men, the police official added.
Eight workers, mostly women, are critically injured with 60 per cent burn injuries. Twelve others, including eight policemen, were injured in a second blast on Sunday evening while rescue operations were underway.
Rescue operations were severely hampered for hours, as unexploded materials continued to detonate.
A second blast at 7.20 pm, triggered as an earthmover was clearing debris, caused chaos and injured several responders, including a revenue official.
Meanwhile, sources said about 1,000 people, including the families of the victims and residents of nearby villages, are threatening a road roko, demanding the arrest of the owner of the factory.
Local eyewitnesses, including Ranganathan from the nearby Seervaikarampatti village, described hearing a massive blast that sent "thick black smoke" into the sky.
"Nothing was recognisable. We saw bodies being loaded four at a time into vehicles," he told PTI Videos.
Many of the deceased were from Seervaikarampatti village, with residents claiming that at least 20 victims belonged to their village.
Among those killed was 46-year-old Indrani, a veteran worker of 25 years.
"My mother was the sole breadwinner. My father is disabled and stays home. I have an MSc degree, but I’m working at a petrol bunk to help out, and we haven't even paid my brother's school fees yet," said Madhubala, Indrani’s daughter, while pleading for government employment assistance.
Virudhunagar Collector N O Sukhaputra confirmed that the unit was operating without permission on a rest day.
Preliminary findings suggest the blast originated in a chemical mixing shed, where nearly 40 workers were busy making crackers, a violation of safety norms that typically limit occupancy to four workers per shed.
"Had these workers followed primary safety norms, the casualties could have been minimal," a senior official stated.
Chief Minister M K Stalin has ordered a high-level probe and directed ministers to oversee relief efforts.
The tragedy follows a similar accident in Vembakottai just days earlier, which claimed four lives, intensifying calls for stricter enforcement of safety regulations in the district’s firecracker hub.
The explosion occurred at approximately 3.15 pm on Sunday. Although the fireworks industry is officially shut on Sundays, over 100 workers were reportedly engaged in production.
Later in the day, Sukhaputra said Rs 5.5 lakh ex gratia each has been finalised for the families of 25 persons killed in the explosion.
Speaking to PTI Videos, he said the ex gratia cheques are ready for immediate distribution to the legal heirs.
"Out of 25 deaths, we have finished conducting post-mortems on 22 bodies. Already we have cheques (that) are ready,” Sukhaputra said.
The announcement followed intense demands from grieving relatives for financial security and government employment.
