Anjali Rathore, a 16-year-old leg-spinner from Jodhpur, has been named in the Central Zone squad for the Women's Inter-Zonal T20 Cup, making her the youngest player selected by any zone this season.
Rathore took 19 wickets in eight matches in the under-19 competition earlier this year, at an economy rate below five runs an over. Selectors said her control of the googly at her age was "rare".
"I bowled in the nets to my brother and his friends for years," Rathore said. "They hit me everywhere, so I learned to vary my pace. That is my main weapon now."
Central Zone squad highlights
- Captain: opening batter Shruti Khanna, who scored 412 runs last season.
- Four uncapped players, including Rathore and wicketkeeper Neha Bansal, 18.
- Two specialist spinners and four seamers in a squad of 15.
The tournament starts on the 20th, with matches split across two venues. Each zone plays every other zone once, and the top two meet in the final.
Rathore's school has arranged for her to take her half-yearly exams early. Her coach, former state player Mahesh Purohit, said the main challenge would be handling the pressure of bigger crowds. "She does not look at the batter's name," he said. "She looks at the gap between bat and pad."
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