Telugu girl Deepika Kodali leads US U-19 women's cricket team

US-born Telugu cricketer Geetika Kodali has been making waves in the gentleman’s game. At 14, she made her T20 international debut for the United States women’s cricket team against Canada. As she turned turned 17, she was already leading the Under-19 team.

Hyderabad: Ambition, combined with hard work, can do wonders. US-born Telugu cricketer Geetika Kodali has been making waves in the gentleman’s game. At 14, she made her T20 international debut for the United States women’s cricket team against Canada. As she turned turned 17, she was already leading the Under-19 team.

Daughter of Kodali Prashant and Madhavi, who are originally from Vijayawada, Geetika is a high school student in North Carolina. She led her team to victory in the first-ever series as a captain.

“I have been passionate about sports right from childhood. But I never thought that I would become a cricketer. When we visited our relatives, mom and dad suggested that I meet coach Raghu. He told me that I could excel at cricket with right coaching. After two years of training, I got the chance to join the US women’s cricket team. Three camps were held for team selection. I got selected in the Under-15 category. I played for the National Women’s Cricket League. Besides learning techniques of the sport from seniors, I got to improve my fitness and bowling while playing there. I played 20 matches in Canada, Mexico and Zimbabwe”, said Geetika.

“Mom and dad were always supportive. They encouraged me to do good in sports. Since North Carolina had better facilities for cricket, they shifted base from California. This helped my studies as well. During childhood, we would go to Andhra Pradesh every year. But I got busy with internships during high school. And then the pandemic happened. I will surely visit India and play there”, she added.

“The Under-19 team was formed for the first time in 2021. I got the opportunity to lead the team of 15. We played at St Vincent in the Caribbean. We have many players of Indian origin in our team. As a part of the series, we played four matches and won three. As a team, we have been supportive of one another. Our team is prepping for the Fairbreak Tournament 2022 held in Dubai.

The US Cricket Association and ICC have been extremely supportive. They arrange satellite coach sessions and train us locally. Team practice matches and rehearsals are held two weeks before the match. We played regionals and nationals during the summer. Cricket has taught me time management. I try to balance studies and cricket. I used to play matches while being regular to school till 10th grade. My teachers have been understanding when I could not attend classes in high school”, Kodali said.

Her parents, meanwhile, said the 19-year-old had caught on to the sport as if it was her second nature. “Geetika was interested in sports since her childhood. When we met coach Raghu, he told us that she had a great future in cricket. After training, she got selected at the tryouts. Now she is an all-rounder. We are elated to see her playing international tournaments. We want her to play Indian Women’s T20 too”, added Prashant and Madhavi.