Meet India’s spin queen Nooshin Al Khadeer who dares to be different both on and off the field.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Spinning Dreams of World Cup Glory
An asset to the Indian team for over half a decade now, Nooshin Al Khadeer has been an indispensable part of not only the National side but the Railways team as well. With her wicket-taking ability and immense talent, it is hard to believe that cricket as a sport always played second fiddle to her first love, basketball. “Noosh”, as she is fondly referred to by her teammates, played at the under- 15 level only to please her father. But from there on there was no stopping her. The off-spinner’s sole aim from there onwards was to make it to the national side. Priya Ganoo tells us more...
Nooshin Al Khadeer shows us her wrist injury which she sustained at the inaugural Women’s Challenger series held in Mumbai recently.
An economical bowler who bowls a tight line and length, Nooshin has consistently performed well for her country, and in 2003 she was ranked No. 1 in the world, as the leading wicket-taker. Her debut was a dream of sorts where she grabbed four wickets for just 74 runs in the match with an economy rate of less than 3 against New Zealand. These are her best bowling figures in a test match which stand till date.
Coming from a Muslim background, she had to make a tough choice of taking up a sport but with the support of her parents, she overcame all the hardships and chose not to be bogged down by the negativity. Nooshin considers her parents as her biggest strength and attributes all her success to them.
Her best bowling in an ODI came against the England women where she finished with impressive figures of 6.5-2-14-5. That match, along with the World Cup semi-final, remains one of her most memorable matches. Nooshin believes with BCCI taking the reigns of Women’s Cricket in its hands, the future certainly looks brighter. She hopes for better grounds and better playing conditions which will be vital for the women’s sport to succeed in the long run.
Noosh considers hard work as the sole reason of success and feels that is all there is to success. She says, “If you dream, make sure you make the dreams come true.” She exudes positivity in everything and does not let failure pull her down. Topping her list of short-term goals is to bag that 100-wicket haul which has been eluding her for quite some time now. As for her long-term ones, nothing can beat the dream to win the World Cup.
Always the one to do things differently, Nooshin says, “If ever I have a daughter, I will make her a wicket-keeper and if it’s a son, I will make him a classical dancer.” The mindset makes a lot of difference and more players like her will certainly help to take the game to a different level altogether.