Jasia Akhtar is an Indian cricketer who is famous for being the first woman cricketer from Jammu and Kashmir to be selected by Delhi Capitals for the Women’s Premier League (WPL) to be held in 2023. She is a right-handed batsman and right-arm medium bowler.
Wiki/Biography
Jasia Akhtar was born on Friday, 27 May 1988 (age 35 years; in 2023) in Braripora, Shopian, Jammu and Kashmir, India. His zodiac sign is Gemini. He pursued his master’s degree at Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar. Jaisa has been fond of cricket since childhood. He played cricket with his cousin’s bat for the first time when he was eight years old. In an interview, one of her cousins recalled that Jasia used to play when they were all studying. He used to go to a two-story class and went to play because of that he was often scolded by his father. In an interview, he said that as soon as he confronted his father, he told him about his interest in cricket. His father made him a handmade bat but never gave it to him because he was afraid he would get hurt while playing. Jasia would take the bat from where her father had hidden it and would hide it in her kurta and go play with the boys in her village.
Physical appearance
Height (approx): 5′ 9″
Hair Color: Black
Eye Color: Black
Family
Parents & Siblings
Jasia’s father’s name is Gul Mohammad Wani, a farmer.
Jasia Akhtar’s father
His mother is a housewife. He has five siblings, of which he is the eldest. One of his brothers is Suhail Ahmad.
Ethnicity
Jaisa is Kashmiri.
Home Team
Cricket
In 2005, she participated in the girls’ U-19 cricket tournament held in Bhopal and won the first gold medal for Jammu and Kashmir in cricket at the school national level. In 2012, he represented Jammu and Kashmir in the All India North Zone and in 2013, he represented Punjab. In 2013, he went to Punjab due to lack of facilities in Jammu and Kashmir. When he was in Punjab, he worked hard and seeing this his coach, Ranjeet Singh told him to take admission in Guru Nanak Dev University so that he could start playing inter-state tournaments. In 2013, he enrolled for his master’s degree at Guru Nanak Dev University and got an opportunity to play a district level cricket event where he smashed 206 runs and in the second match, he scored 65 runs. After his performance in the match, he was selected by the Punjab officials for the national camp and later for the state cricket team. As a part of the Punjab team, he played around 40 matches a day and T20. He is the best player for Punjab team. In 2014, she played for Rupali Bank in the Dhaka Cricket League, becoming the first woman cricketer from Jammu and Kashmir to play in Bangladesh. In the tournament, he played 10 matches and reached the final, but lost to the Muhammedan club. In 2022, he played in the same tournament for Mohammedan Sports Club. In September 2017, she became the first woman cricketer from Jammu and Kashmir to be selected for the national camp for the Indian women’s national cricket team but did not get a chance to play. In 2019, she was selected for the Women’s IPL tournament by the Trailblazers team. In the tournament, he became the second highest run-getter after he smashed 273 runs in seven matches. In 2018, she was part of the India Red women’s team for the Women’s Challenger Trophy One Day Tournament-2019. In 2021, he joined Rajasthan cricket team as captain. In 2021, she scored 501 runs in nine matches which included two centuries and a fifty in the Senior Women’s One Day tournament. He emerged as the highest nomination of the tournament. On 13 February 2023, he was bought by Delhi Capitals (DC) for Rs. 20 lakh in the Women’s Premier League (WPL). Initially, the amount was Rs. 10 Lakh, but increased to Rs.20 lakh.
Favourite
Facts/Trivia
- He was called by the name Jassi by his teammates.
- He was trained by Khalid Hamid and Murtuza Bashir when he was young.
- While he was a student, he participated in many national level competitions in the U-17 and U-19 categories for different sports including Cricket, Softball and Kabaddi held under the Indian School Sports Federation. As an athlete, he was also selected by the PT Usha Academy in Pahalgam during the trial, but he decided to choose cricket as his profession.
Jasia Akhtar poses with her award
- He used to travel from Shopian to Srinagar and back to the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association facility for training which cost him Rs.250 each way. He used to save pocket money and started teaching tuition to earn money. He also used to help his father who worked as a laborer.
Jasia Akhtar helped her father make their house
- In an interview, he spoke about the state of the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association and said that basic equipment, including bats, balls, gloves and helmets, were not available there. He used to note things about the style of play of the national players he saw on television because there was no one to guide them.
- In an interview, he said that he faced many problems while playing in his hometown. Some of his neighbors told his family not to let him play and instead taught him his homework, but his family never stopped him from playing. In 2004, when he was in the eighth grade, his house was attacked by some militants who also threatened his family to prevent Jasia from playing. Even then, his family did not stop him, but he became very scared and stopped playing. He started playing again after six years. In an interview, she said that she wanted to start a foundation for women cricketers in Kashmir so that they don’t lack the facilities and environment that she didn’t have while growing up.
- In an interview, he spoke about the challenges he faced when he moved from Kashmir to Punjab and said,
The transition from Kashmir to Punjab was difficult. The language is different. The culture is new. But eventually, Punjab became home to me. Punjab and Rajasthan have given me so much love that I cannot express it in words.”
- His biggest challenge as he struggled was his financial situation. He used to take a bus for 12 hours to travel from Amritsar to Shopian and would not eat anything because the ticket fare was Rs. 1500 which is a lot for him for one trip.
- In an interview, he said that he was not convinced to play in the Dhaka Cricket League in 2014, but when he found out that he would be paid 3000 dollars per match, he immediately agreed.
- In an interview, his brother said that he brought jerseys for the children in their village when he visited his home.
- In an interview, she said that when she went to Punjab, there were many big players including her favorites Mithali Raj and Harmanpreet Kaur and she realized that she had to work hard to achieve the success they had. In another interview, Jasia said that she was gifted the bat by Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur when she scored 39 runs in 25 balls against Punjab.
- In an interview, she spoke about her selection in the Women’s Premier League in 2023 and said,
I got a call from my brother after I switched on my phone and he told me that I have been picked by Delhi Capitals. I didn’t believe it, but then I talked to my parents and they were really excited. I feel proud after being picked up by such a big franchise. I’m excited to play with Meg Lanning and Marizanne Kapp.”
- In 2023, she motivated Rajasthan Under-19 women cricketers in an event organized by Aadishakti Women’s Foundation in collaboration with Marwadi International Federation.
Categories: Biography
Source: SCHOOL TRANG DAI
