Simran Henry, the 19-year-old cricketer from Bengaluru broke the Bangalore University’s women’s cricket record of highest score in an innings by a batswoman. Henry scored 154 runs from 72 balls in a pre-quarterfinal clash of the South Zone Inter University Women Cricket Championship against Pondicherry University. The teenager also broke the record of highest partnership in the Bangalore University’s women cricket with her partner Monisha. Henry-Monisha shared a partnership of 241 runs.
Henry’s innings had 18 fours and 3 sixes as she took on the Pondicherry University bowlers.
Talking to The New Indian Express, Henry revealed that she had been in good form before the match. She said,
I opened the match as I always do. I was riding high on the confidence of my two previous matches. I had scored 107 runs against Adikavi Nanaya University (AP) and 88 runs against Thiruvallvar University (Vellore) earlier. I was however, not over the top and it took me a while to settle in.
Speaking of her partnership with Monisha, Henry said,
Once this happened the runs kept flowing. I hit three sixes and around 18 fours. My partner Monisha also gave me a good support. It was a special knock indeed.
She also explained that scoring at a strike rate of 213.88 is no piece of cake in university matches.
This however, does not mean that university matches are any easier. There are some very good players who themselves are state players in university matches. I play every ball according to its merit irrespective of it being a Ranji or a university match.
She also talked about the changes in women cricket after ICC Women’s World Cup 2017 where India were the runner-ups.
Compared to when I started, the situation has definitely improved a lot. There are more matches and more recognition. We fly to our matches, stay in good hotels and get our allowances and a lot of encouragement.
Focussing on the income disparity between men and women cricketers in India, she said,
Women get around Rs 4,000 to Rs 5,000 per match for a Ranji game, however, for men, it is around Rs 1 lakh per match. However, having said that I never play for the benefits. I play for the love of the game
Simran draws inspiration from India’s Women’s T20I captain Harmanpreet Kaur and attacking batswoman Veda Krishnamurthy (who is also her friend). When it comes to role models, she looks up to India’s men cricket team skipper Virat Kohli and South Africa’s explosive cricketer AB De Villiers.
The 19-year-old has cricket in her veins. Henry Anthony, her father used to play state level cricket and is now a coach. She took up the cricket bat when she was a 9-year-old. She has represented her state at Under-16, Under-19 and Under-23 levels. Looking at her performances, she can be a future prospect for Indian cricket.
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