EKTA BISHT

Ekta Bisht

8 February 1986, Almora

Ekta Bisht was born on February 8, 1986, into a Kumauni Rajput family in the Khazanchi neighborhood of Almora, Uttarakhand. Her mother was Mrs. Tara Bisht, and her father, Mr. Kundan Singh Bisht, was a former service member. Vineet Bisht is her brother’s name as well. Ekta began playing with neighborhood boys when she was six years old. Her parents encouraged her interest and assisted her in pursuing a career in cricket. She started off as the captain of North Zone’s Kumaon University.

Ekta has loved cricket since she was a young child. She went to the Almora Stadium to begin practicing cricket as soon as she reached adulthood. At the same time, she was put to the test by coach Liaquat Ali, who also made her work on her bowl left-arm spin.

She was the first International woman cricketer from Uttarakhand state of India. She was also the first cricketer for India to take a hat-trick in a Women’s Twenty20 International match.

EDUCATION

Adams Girls Inter College in Almora is where she received her early schooling. She was enrolled in Soban Singh Jeena Almora Campus after finishing her education, and after earning her B.Com there, she went on to earn her M.Com. She continued to play cricket with the university team during this time and did not give up the sport. She used to travel to Nainital to play college cricket with the squad.

CAREER IN CRICKET

She was chosen from the university squad during her graduation, and she played for Uttarakhand from 2002 to 2006. She then began to play for the Uttar Pradesh squad. Her father even opened a tea business in Almora because of his daughter’s commitment, despite the family’s dire financial situation. She didn’t let her parents down and was chosen for the national team.

She was chosen for the Indian junior team’s camp in 2005 but had to withdraw owing to an injury. Ekta gained international recognition for her talent while representing Uttar Pradesh against Vidarbha in November 2009. She took three wickets for no runs in eight overs. Ekta grabbed five wickets for 13 runs in another game against Vidarbha itself. Ekta also claimed three wickets for nine runs in 10 overs against Madhya Pradesh. Ekta has participated in two games for the Board XI against the West Indies in 2010 and has impressed selectors with her amazing performance in a number of first-class games, including ones in the Central Zone.

Ekta was chosen among the 30 players who could participate in the Women’s Cricket T20 World Cup in 2010 based on these accomplishments, however she was unable to make it into the final 15. Ekta, however, made her ambitions come true by earning a spot on the national squad because of her dedication, strength, and passion for the game. Ekta was chosen for the Indian women’s cricket team in 2011, and on July 2, 2011, she took the field in her debut ODI match against Australia.

In the ICC T20 Women’s World Cup match against Sri Lanka in October 2012, Bisht helped India reduce their opponents to 100 for 8 by scoring a hat-trick in the last innings for Sri Lanka. The game was won by India. Bisht managed only 8 runs in February 2017 to dismiss Pakistan’s 5 bowlers. It’s interesting to note that seven of her ten overs were maidens. Her outstanding performance enabled India to scorn Pakistan’s batting order for their 10th-lowest total of 67 runs, humiliating them. India defeated its opponent by seven wickets.

In her 10-over performance during one of the ICC Women’s World 2017 League games, Bisht claimed 5 wickets for just 18 runs. Her devastating bowling statistics enabled India to defeat Pakistan by 95 runs while pursuing a modest 170 run total. The 2017 Women’s Cricket World Cup squad advanced to the final thanks in large part to Ekta Bisht, but ultimately fell to England by nine runs. Ekta was chosen to represent India at the ICC Women’s World 20-20 tournament in West Indies in 2018. She was also ranked as the secondhighest ODI wicket-taker. She was listed as the fifth woman to reach 100 wickets in the same year.

Ekta was selected for the Indian Test team in 2021 in preparation for their one-off match against England. Ekta Bisht successfully fools her opponents with her variants. As a result, it is challenging to assault her while she is bowling. India and Pakistan recently competed in the Asia Cup final, and skipper Harmanpreet Kaur made the decision to start the bowling with Ekta. She continued by taking two wickets in her subsequent four overs, demonstrating her variety and efficiency.

AWARDS / ACHIEVEMENTS

Ekta received the Rajya Khel Ratna Award from the Uttarakhand government in 2017, coupled with a cash prize of five lakh rupees and the Dronacharya Award given to her guru Liaquat Ali Khan.

In 2017 both the Women’s One Day International Team of the Year and the ICC Women’s T20I Team of the Year included Ekta. Only she has ever been recognised in both formats of cricket.

Chahar is the first Indian male cricketer to claim a hat-trick in T20. Before him, Indian female cricketer, spinner Ekta Bisht claimed a hat-trick during the ICC Women’s World Twenty20 Qualifier match against Sri Lanka in 2012.

We all appeal to the Government of India to honor Ekta Bisht with the Padma Shri award.