Parshavi’s ambition was sparked by the women’s WC campaign of 2017.

Parshavi Chopra was raised in a cricket hysteria-filled environment since her father and uncle would often talk about the sport at home. But the youngster’s love of cricket wasn’t sparked until India’s journey to the 2017 ODI Women’s World Cup final in England.

Even though they lost to England in the championship game, India’s campaign and their surprise victory against Australia captured the attention of Indian supporters, giving women’s cricket in the nation a new identity. Parshavi was motivated to enrol at the Yuvraj Singh Centre of Excellence (YSCE) in Noida because she wanted to one day represent India in a World Cup.

Leg-spinner Parshavi is now realising her dream after six years. She was not only a part of the side that defeated England in the T20 ICC U-19 Women’s World Cup final on Sunday, but she also led India in wickets taken in South Africa with 11, falling just one short of the tournament record set by 15-year-old Australian pacer Maggie Clarke (12 off 5 games).

She was one of the bowlers that helped India cruise through the Potchefstroom championship match. As England was bowled out for 68, India won by seven wickets thanks in large part to her 2/13 in four overs. With a 4/5 in the Super Six stage victory against Sri Lanka, she also stole the spotlight.

Yuvraj Singh, a star of India’s U-19 as well as ODI and T20 World Cup triumphs, praised Parshavi. “I’m thrilled that our female athletes won the U-19 World Cup. Activity has never seen anything like it, and I do not doubt that this will inspire a lot more young females to take up the sport.

The former India all-rounder thought highly of his academy student. “I’ve been paying careful attention to Parshavi’s development. She works hard and truly adheres to her instructors’ instructions. She is a talent to keep an eye out for on the international scene, in my opinion. I’m eager to see her when she gets back to India. I am quite optimistic about her future successes.

The squad captained by Shafali Verma won the country’s first-ever women’s team world championship.

The family of the 16-year-old Parshavi is from Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh. She has spent many seasons playing for the state U-19 team.

She competed in figure skating and earned several state gold before switching to cricket. She also ran the 100 metres in class. But after seeing the 2017 World Cup, she decided that she wanted to play cricket. We supported her and enrolled her in an academy with modern facilities. She worked diligently on her technique and talent from that point on under the guidance of Vishal Bhatia, according to Parshavi’s father Gaurav Chopra.

At the club level, Gaurav and his brother have both played cricket in the National Capital Region. As an aspiring cricketer himself, Parshavi’s brother participated in the UP U-16 boys’ camp this year.

Her father talked about the significance of Yuvraj’s academy in his daughter’s growth as a player, saying, “The whole neighbourhood was at our residence during the final.”

Now is the moment for Parshavi to advance and work harder. She is still very young, and further exposure might help her develop into a skilled cricket player, he added.