Pooja Vastrakar (born 25 September 1999) is an Indian cricketer who plays for the national team as an all-rounder.[2][3] She is a right-arm medium-fast bowler[4] and right-handed batter. She made her international debut for India in 2018, against South Africa.[5] In domestic cricket, she represents Madhya Pradesh.
Early life
Vastrakar initially started playing cricket with the boys near her neighborhood in Shahdol, Madhya Pradesh.[6][7] She later started going to the stadium and practiced net batting where the coach Ashutosh Shrivastava realized her talent and started her formal training.[7] She started off as a batter and later on when she joined the Madhya Pradesh team, she started fast bowling alongside her batting. At the age of 15, she was a part of India Green Women Squad.[8] In 2016, while Vastrakar was fielding during a senior women's domestic match, she twisted her knee.[7] This led to her getting surgery done for her anterior cruciate ligament tear which put her National call-up in jeopardy.[7] The Challenger Trophy in 2018 played a pivotal role in Vastrakar's selection for India's South Africa tour.[7]
Vastrakar's father is a retired employee of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL). Her mother died when she was ten years old. She has four sisters and two brothers and is the youngest of seven siblings.[1]
In October 2018, she was named in India's squad for the 2018 ICC Women's World Twenty20 tournament in the West Indies.[10][11] However, she suffered an injury during a warm-up match, and was later ruled out of the tournament.[12] In January 2020, she was named in India's squad for the 2020 ICC Women's T20 World Cup in Australia.[13]
