| Pooja Vastrakar Quick Info | |
|---|---|
| Height | 5 ft 8 in |
| Weight | 68 kg |
| Date of Birth | September 25, 1999 |
| Zodiac Sign | Libra |
| Eye Color | Dark Brown |
Pooja Vastrakar is an Indian professional cricketer who has represented her country in all 3 formats of the sport (Tests, ODIs, and T20Is), as a bowling all-rounder. She was an integral part of the Indian squad that had finished runner-up at the 2020 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, the 1st time that India had achieved the feat. In the Indian domestic circuit, she has played for her home state of Madhya Pradesh across all 3 formats. In franchise-based T20 cricket, she has turned out for Supernovas (2018, 2020) in the Women’s T20 Challenge.
Born Name
Pooja Vastrakar
Nick Name
Babulal, Babloo, Chhota (Mini/Young) Hardik
Sun Sign
Libra
Born Place
Shahdol, Madhya Pradesh, India
Residence
Madhya Pradesh, India
Nationality
Occupation
Professional Cricketer
Family
- Father – Bandhan Ram Vastrakar (Former Employee at Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), an Indian Government-Owned Telecommunications Service Provider)
- Mother – Her mother had passed away in 2009.
- Siblings – Usha Vastrakar (Older Sister) (Sprinter). She has 3 other older sisters and 2 older brothers.
Manager
She is represented by FairPlay Sports, Athlete Management & Sports Marketing / PR Agency, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.
Batting
Right-Handed
Bowling
Right-Arm Medium
Role
Bowling All-Rounder
Jersey Number
- 23 – Test Match
- 11, 34 – One Day International (ODI)
- 11, 23 – T20 International (T20I)
Build
Athletic
Height
5 ft 8 in or 173 cm
Weight
68 kg or 150 lbs
Race / Ethnicity
Asian (Indian)
Hair Color
Black
Eye Color
Dark Brown
Sexual Orientation
Straight
Distinctive Features
- Toned physique
- Side-cropped, quiff hairstyle
- Affable smile
Pooja Vastrakar Facts
- She had started her cricketing journey by participating in local matches with boys. When she had started getting formal training, she was a specialist batter. She was so prodigiously talented that she had made it to her state team while still in her mid-teens. It was there that she also began to focus on her bowling.
- In 2016, while fielding during a senior women’s domestic match, she had twisted her knee so badly that she had to undergo surgery on her anterior cruciate ligament.
- In October 2018, she had been included in India’s squad for the 2018 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup. However, she had sustained an injury during a warm-up match and had to be ruled out of the tournament.
- In India’s opening match of the 2022 ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup, against arch-rivals Pakistan, she had come in to bat with India struggling at 114/6 in the 34th over. She had then produced a brilliant knock of 67 runs off just 59 balls. By the time she was dismissed in the 50th and final over, she had dragged India’s score to a competitive 236. India went on to win the game by 107 runs and she was named the ‘Player of the Match’ for her heroics. This was India’s 11th successive win over Pakistan in WODIs.
- In India’s next match of that tournament, against hosts New Zealand, she had starred with the ball recording figures of 4/34 in 10 overs. Despite this, New Zealand had managed to rack up a total of 260 runs and beat India by 62 runs.
- In India’s 5th game of the group stage in that tournament, against Australia, she had walked in to bat with India precariously placed at 213/6 in the 43rd over. She had turbocharged the innings with 34 runs off 28 balls to steer India to 277/7 which was a highly competitive total. With the ball, she was India’s best performer and had produced a spell of 2/43 in 10 overs. Despite Pooja’s stellar all-round show, Australia had chased down the steep target in the last over of the match, thus setting a new tournament record for the highest successful run chase.
- In the next match, against Bangladesh, she had again starred with both bat (30 runs off 33 balls to steer India to a fighting total of 229 runs) and ball (2/26 in 6 overs to help India restrict Bangladesh to 119 runs).
- As of March 2022, she jointly holds the record for the most number of runs (51) scored in a match at the 9th batting position in WODIs. She had achieved the feat in March 2018 in a match against Australia.
- In February 2023, she was sold to Mumbai Indians for INR 1.9 crore in the first-ever Women’s Premier League (WPL) auction held in Mumbai.
Featured Image by Pooja Vastrakar / Instagram
