New at the crease

At 16, she is the youngest player to ever secure a WPL contract. She is already practising with giants and may even get to play. Meet Deeya Yadav

- Rudraneil Sengupta

Is she nervous, given that her only experience has been with her Under-16 and Under-19 Haryana state teams? “No...,” Yadav says, as if that’s an odd question.

I watched her arrive for practice at a cricket stadium in Goa where the Delhi Capitals Women’s Premier League (WPL) team was training before the season started on January 9.

Deeya Yadav's big stride on long legs was followed by the smooth swing of the bat, and the resounding crack that told you the ball was headed into the stands.

That's how it went, over and over: ball, whack, flight.

It is this that has won Yadav a spot on the team. At 16, she is the youngest player to secure a WPL contract in the league's four-year history. If she can hit this hard, this effortlessly, now, what mayhem will she be capable of in a couple of years?

Yadav, with her head full of wavy hair and grey eyes that sparkle, is well-placed to explore the answer to that question. She is practising and mingling with giants.