JALANDHAR, Jan 2: Ongoing construction at Burlton Park has not stopped a group of young girls in Jalandhar from chasing their cricketing dreams, as coach Sharandeep Kaur continues to organise practice sessions at alternate venues to keep training uninterrupted.
Around 25 girls between the ages of 11 and 20 are currently receiving free cricket coaching under the Jalandhar Cricket Association (JCA). With their usual practice ground unavailable, Kaur has taken steps to create a structured support system through a new girls-only cricket club named “Fast and Fearless.”
“I want to engage as many girls as possible through this club, so that more of them can realise their dreams,” Kaur said. She added that parents and the district cricket association had extended support to help identify temporary practice spaces.
Many of the players come from working-class families, with parents employed in factories or daily-wage jobs. Despite financial constraints, the girls attend practice sessions regularly after school and closely follow international cricket on television.
Sixteen-year-old Khushboo, who has been training for nearly three years, said purchasing a cricket kit was a challenge for her family. “My father told me that if cricket is my passion, I should pursue it. He said he would do whatever it takes,” she said.
Fellow trainees Rajni and Mithi, also 16, described cricket as more than just a sport. “It is an emotion for us,” one of them said.
Kaur, a physical education teacher at a government school in Adarsh Nagar, has been associated with girls’ cricket in the district for several years. She hopes the new club will encourage more girls in Jalandhar to take up the sport until work at Burlton Park is completed.
