Parshavi Chopra is an Indian cricketer who plays as a bowling all-rounder for the India Women Under-19 team, which won the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, beating England by 36 balls and 7 wickets, on 29 January 2023. In 2023, she was bought by the franchise team UP Warriorz for Rs 10 Lakh for the Women’s Premier League (WPL).
Wiki/Biography
Parshavi Gaurav Chopra was born on Wednesday, 10 May 2006 (age 17 years; as of 2023) in Sikandrabad, Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh. She grew up in a family of cricket enthusiasts with a grandfather, Parshuram Chopra, who was once a zonal-level cricketer and a father and uncle who have played club cricket. In an interview, while talking about his family’s love for cricket, Parshavi’s uncle Ram Chopra said,
Ours is a family which celebrates international cricket tournaments like festivals and most family discussions revolve around the sport.”
However, she started her athletic journey with skating before her father shifted her to cricket. She won silver in U-14 Uttar Pradesh Skating Championships. She first started playing cricket with boys in her neighbourhood when she was 10. Thereafter, her parents realised her passion for the sport and enrolled her in a cricket academy.
A childhood picture of Parshavi (right) with younger brother Raghav Chopra
She has trained at two academies, Youngstar Cricket Academy and Yuvraj Singh Center of Excellence. As of 2023, she is in Class 9, and she is pursuing her schooling at her uncle Ram Chopra’s school in their hometown.
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 4″
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Black
Family
Her father, Gaurav Chopra, runs a real estate business. Her mother’s name is Sheetal Chopra. Her younger brother’s name is Raghav. He is also a cricketer and a part of UP’s under-16 team.
Parshavi Chopra with her parents and brother
Career
Domestic
Parshavi Chopra represents Uttar Pradesh at the domestic level. She was unable to make it to the Uttar Pradesh State U-16 Team when she first went in for trials at the age of 12 because she was underage according to the rules. In the following year, she got selected to play for UP U-16 for the Chhattisgarh Tour. She was declared the best bowler in the U-16 Chhattisgarh Tour. Thereafter, she got selected for the U-19 Camp. Parshavi made a national record in a match against Baroda, where she bowled 6 maiden overs with 3 wickets. In 2019, she played for the U.P. Team in the U-19 Nationals. However, the tournament was halted due to the Covid-19 lockdown. Her excellent performance led to her selection for the National Cricket Academy. She played in the BCCI U-16 One Day Tournament (2018-19) in which she picked up 17 wickets. In the following season, she played in the BCCI U-19 One Day trophy. Picking up 21 wickets, she was the second-highest wicket-taker in the BCCI U-19 One Day trophy (2019-20).
International
In the Women’s Quadrangular U19 T20 Series (2022), she played for India A, which won the final match against India B Women by 7 wickets. On 27 November 2022, she made her T20I debut against New Zealand at the MCA Bandra Kurla Complex Ground in Mumbai in a home series. All five matches in the series were won by India. Thereafter, she was named in India’s squad for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup. The squad consisted of Shafali Verma (captain), Shweta Sehrawat (vice-captain), Richa Ghosh (wicket-keeper), G Trisha, Soumya Tiwari, Sonia Mendhiya, Hrishita Basu (wicket-keeper), Sonam Yadav, Mannat Kashyap, Hurley Gala, Archana Devi, Titas Sadhu, Falak Naz, Shabnam MD. The tournament took place in January 2023 in South Africa. In a match against New Zealand during the world cup, she picked up three wickets, restricting the Kiwis’ runs to 107.
Parshavi in action during the ICC U-19 T20 World Cup in the match against New Zealand in South Africa
She claimed a magnificent four-wicket haul and bagged the Player of the Match award leading India to secure a 7-wicket win over Sri Lanka. On 29 January 2023, the Indian women’s cricket team won the ICC Women’s U-19 T20 World Cup after beating England by seven wickets in the final at Senwes Park in Potchefstroom, South Africa. Parshavi was the second-highest wicket-taker in the world cup with 11 wickets.
Indian U-19 team after winning the Women’s U-19 T20 World Cup 2023
Women’s Premier League (WPL)
In 2023, she was signed by UP Warriorz for Rs 10 Lakh for the Women’s Premier League (WPL).
Favourites
- Film: M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story (2016), Shabaash Mithu (2022)
Facts/Trivia
- Her batting style is right-hand bat, and her bowling style is legbreak. In the beginning, she was a right-arm medium-pace bowler; however, she switched to leg spin since she idolised Shane Warne.
- In an interview, Parshavi revealed that she was realising her father’s dream of playing for India. It was her father’s unconditional support which led her to play for India, and she attributes him as her coach. When Parshavi started training, her father would prepare a seven-day schedule for her to follow.
- She has trained under the coaches JP Nautiyal and Vishal Bhatia.
Parshavi with coach JP Nautiyal
Parshavi is seated between her coaches, Vishal Bhatia (left) and Rahul Sharma (right)
- Her hobbies include listening to music, swimming, skating, and playing basketball, lawn tennis, table tennis, and badminton.
- At 13, Parshavi Chopra was hit above her lips while fielding during her maiden U-19 match for Uttar Pradesh against Assam. Although the UP coach asked her to sit out if she wanted, she took some time off the field and returned to pick three wickets in the match. She revealed the incident much later to her parents, fearing that they might ask her to quit the sport.
Categories: Biography
Source: SCHOOL TRANG DAI
