Meet G Trisha - Hyderabad's upcoming U-19 talent

Trisha Gongadi, a 17-year-old cricketer, is an enthusiastic, passionate, and energetic prospect from Telangana. She turned into a dependable all-rounder who can open the batting as well as bowling. In November 2021, her contribution was critical to India B's Women's Under-19 Challenger Trophy victory. Hyderabad's young opening batter emerged as the top scorer with 260 runs.

At the tender age of 2, she used to hold a plastic bat and hit a zillion deliveries per day off a hanging ball customised to her height. Trisha's father, Ram, used to be a fitness instructor in Bhadrachalam, but he left his job to relocate to Hyderabad for better cricket facilities for the daughter. 

He has always been interested in sports and wanted his kids to represent India. After moving to Hyderabad, several practice sessions, coupled with hardwork, strengthened her muscle memory and enabled her to reach higher levels at a very young age.

Trisha made her Under-16 debut when she was only eight years old. She was born on December 15, 2005, when India reached the Women's World Cup final for the first time.

Meanwhile, Trisha transformed from a medium pacer to a leg spinner with no change in her action. Amidst criticism, former fielding coach of India's men's cricket team, R. Sridhar, spoke up for her and encouraged her not to change. Furthermore, he requested that the trainers not interfere with her bowling action.

"It was too much work with little rest, ending in exhaustion. So we try to mix it up with other activities to ensure she has a life outside of cricket," R Sridhar told The New Indian Express.

"We performed a biomechanical analysis to determine where she needs to improve. Not only did we want to improve her skill, but we also wanted to boost her bat speed and range of shots with modest tweaks. Anoop worked on her batting range since we wanted her to score at least one run-a-ball," he added. 

Trisha, who has scored 134 runs in four innings in the ongoing senior women's T20 league at a strike rate of 98.52, says, "One of the things we have worked on in the last few months is trying to figure out how to have more than one scoring shot for the same delivery so that it helps me improve my attacking game."

With the U-19 World Cup still months away, the 17-year-old wants to take each day as it comes and improve as a cricketer every chance she gets. "We're looking at the larger picture and what needs to be done for her to become a complete cricketer," Sridhar signed off.