Anju Jain
1993 it was. India was taking on the West Indies, a team that is coming back after years of hiatus due to lack of funds and lack of support from the Government and the Board. The once-powerful team had only little to show off that day but yes, indeed a proud moment for the girls to be in the World Cup.
On the other hand, we had India who also had financial trouble yet wasn’t as bad as the West Indies. This is the first match in the tournament for both India and West Indies. In fact, both the teams are facing each other for the first time. Oh, there was drama. West Indies bounced back after India’s good partnership. Sandhya Agarwal and the debutant Anju Jain added 63. Then there was a downfall. Followed by rainfall too. A cluster of wickets fell around Jain. She was supposed to feel nervous. This was her debut match. Well, no. She stood firm, took India to 155. Her unbeaten 84* stood out that day. India won the match with ease.
Two years later, in 1995, India hosted England. Undoubtedly, the team had superstars and India had players who were growing into one. Still, who would have thought that India would go on to win the series?
Most of the credits must go to Jain. She had the second most runs, only after the legend Brittin. Oh, she had eight stumpings to her name in the ODI series. While India lost the Test series, Jain’s 110 is super memorable.
If there is a word that can describe Jain, it has to be fearless. The lofted shot was her thing and most importantly, her keeping. Imagine facing Jhulan Goswami at her prime. Now, imagine standing close to the stumps for her. It was super hard but it was her thing. She loved challenges.
A good bowler and a better keeper steal wickets from opponents. Neetu David needs no introduction at all. Along with David, Jain had 25 dismissals. She also had more than 10 dismissals with Rau and Khadeer. To add more, Jain had 31 dismissals in World Cups.
Jain’s work did not stop here. She would open the innings, try to keep India busy and would have that starts that helped the team to beat some of the best in the world. As if her workload wasn’t enough, she was made the captain of the team in the 2000 World Cup. Well, didn’t I tell she loves challenges? She did. She accepted the challenge and took India to the semi-final. Oh, it’s a record. She has the most number of matches as a Wicketkeeper captain who opened the innings.
2005 was another great year for Jain. India reached finals of the World Cup and she was awarded Arjuna Award. To add more, she soon got married too. It certainly was a fairytale. However, she called it a day after the 2005 World Cup final.
2006 was special for India’s women’s cricket. There was a merger between BCCI and Women’s cricket association. Soon, she became a selector for the women’s cricket.
You cannot keep cricket away from Jain, can you? She was a national selector and two years later, she threw her name for coaching training.
2008 was the first time BCCI organized coaching training for women. Jain was there…too.
Oh, who knew years later, it would come in handy against her national team?
She became the coach of Bangladesh and the team did flourish under her. Probably, the best achievement was to defeat India in the Asia Cup. Twice. They also lifted the title for the first time.
Now that her terms with Bangladesh are over, she is back to India to coach Baroda team and I’m sure there will be a few players coming up from the state, to fill the void she left in the team.
It’s been years and India is still fighting to get a good replacement for the legend. There are a few good prospects but they have a long way to go.
Happy Birthday, Anju Jain <3
