Women's Cricket
Neelam Bhardwaj: From the slums of Kumaon to the List-A record books
After cracking 202, the teenager is now the youngest Indian woman to smash a double ton in a List A game.
Young Bhardwaj has been playing cricket since the age of eight. (Photo Credit: Instagram/neelamm__09)
When 18-year old Neelam Bhardwaj strode out to the crease with the willow in her hands at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Tuesday, Uttarakhand Women had just won the toss in a Senior Women's One Day Trophy match against Nagaland in Ahmedabad.
After 137 balls, the tenacious right-hander had a whopping 202 runs against her name. This included two sixes and a mind-numbing 27 boundaries.
In doing so, Bhardwaj etched her name in the record books as the youngest Indian woman to smash a double hundred in a List A match.
Thanks to her audacious knock, Uttarakhand posted 371/2 and then bowled out Nagaland for a mere 112.
Just earlier this year, Shweta Sehrawat had become the first double centurion in Indian women's List A after amassing 242 runs from 150-balls in a game for Delhi, also incidentally against Nagaland.
18 y/o Neelam Bhardwaj from Uttarakhand becomes the youngest Indian woman to score a List A double hundred!
— The Bridge (@the_bridge_in) December 10, 2024
She scored an unbeaten 202 in 137 balls in the Senior Women's ODI Trophy, also becoming just the 2⃣nd Indian woman to score a List A double after Shweta Sehrawat. 🙌… pic.twitter.com/Cd3zxjaAsa
True grit
Hailing from Kumaon, Bhardwaj was raised in slums near the Ramnagar Railway Station. Her father, Naresh Bhardwaj, a daily-wage labourer, was the only earning member of the family.
An accident at a ply factory in 2020 led to his sudden demise and this further plunged the already struggling family into deeper financial misery.
Young Bhardwaj, who has been playing cricket since the age of eight owes her development to Mohammad Israr Ansari, who according to Cricbuzz, bore her early cricketing expenses.
The youngster progressed rapidly and at 12 years of age, was ushered into an U19 trials.
When the officials noticed the then diminutive girl, they were skeptical and it was only when a BCCI selector intervened that Bhardwaj got a look in.
Low and behold, she made the cut and her rise has been synonymous with the growth the cricket in Uttarakhand.
After a stellar double hundred, Neelam Bhardwaj is a name that is bound to echo around the national women’s cricketing circles.
And if her performance is any indicator of her talent, this will surely not be the last time that her name pops up with a batting accolade.
