Step-by-step advice on pathways, clubs, competitions and coaching for getting into girls cricket and women’s cricket in Saurashtra.
The land of Cheteshwar Pujara has a rich history of cricket, but we don’t often hear about the feats of the female players of the Saurashtra region. While some of the players have made it to India camps and Challenger Trophies, the hunt is on for the one who can make it to the national team!
If you’re unfamiliar with how the cricket system in India works, you might be confused about why the information on these pages is different for Saurashtra and Gujarat. After all, isn’t it all one state?
You’re right. But the thing is, Gujarat state has three separate cricket associations, each of them managing cricket in different parts. These are Baroda, Gujarat and Saurashtra cricket associations.
Depending on where you live, you will be part of one of these. You can check if you belong to Baroda Cricket Association or Gujarat Cricket Association in their respective pages of this guide, but, for your reference, here are the districts that come under Saurashtra Cricket Association: Amreli, Bhavnagar, Botad, Surendranagar, Rajkot, Diu, Dwarka, Gramya, Jamnagar, Junagadh, Kachchh, Porbandar, Vavdi.
Where to start
Start by playing any sport at your school level. It doesn’t matter if you don’t get into cricket right away. Playing other sports too is good for you and will help your cricket in the future.
Then, once you get serious about cricket, join a private academy. The big centres for women’s cricket in the region are Rajkot and Jamnagar. But girls also go elsewhere in Gujarat, like Baroda, to gain cricket experience.
How to get selected to the Saurashtra women’s team
Saurashtra has Under-19, Under-23 and senior women’s teams.
Selection to these teams is a straightforward process: Trials → State team
For this, the association invites interested girls to take part in ‘open trials’ on a particular day or two. This means that any girl can go to the venue, register and show the selectors who are watching what she can do in the nets. It’s like an audition.
Keep an eye out in newspapers for information on the dates for this. If you go to a private academy, your coach will keep you informed as well.
From the trials, the best players are chosen to form a team. If a lot of girls attend, around 25-30 of them are chosen as the ‘probables’, and after a camp of a week or two, the final state team is announced.
Other opportunities to develop your game
A few women’s tournaments, both 50-over and 20-over, have been organised in Jamnagar in recent years.
Facilities
The facilities at the main SCA stadium in Rajkot off the highway are excellent. The women’s team too have access to the gyms and nets there. The distance from the city is a slight issue.
Apart from that, the best facilities are available at private academies.
School cricket for girls in Saurashtra
Not many schools offer cricket for girls in the Saurashtra region.
College cricket for girls in Saurashtra region
The state association does not run any inter-college tournaments, but Rajkot University does take part in inter-varsity matches. The team is selected via trials.
The Nobel Group of Institutions in Junagadh sometimes holds cricket matches, and has intra-college tennis ball cricket.
Notable academies for girls cricket in Saurashtra
- Nawanagar Cricket Academy, Jamnagar
- Drive-In Cricket Academy, Rajkot
- RK Sports Academy, Rajkot (state team coach Nandita Adhiya is involved here)
- Westwood Cricket Academy (linked to Westwood School), Rajkot
Many girls also go to Baroda for short-term coaching camps as the training, facilities and level of competition there is more advanced. These girls also get to improve their skills by playing against boys. You can find more information in the page about Baroda cricket.
If you have information on schools, colleges or academies that support girls cricket in Saurashtra, contact us and we’ll add it to this page!