Biography

One of a kind, Jasia Akhter is the only cricketer from Jammu and Kashmir to have earned a TATA WPL contract. Aged 34, she is enjoying a purple patch with her phenomenal batting record as well as strong captaincy skills that led her side, Rajasthan, to the semis in the recently concluded Senior Women’s One Day Trophy.

Jasia first picked the willow in the summer of 2002, when she couldn’t help but keep observing the local boys play the game of bat and ball. Hesitant but brave, that day was the start of Jasia’s dream-come-true career. Idolizing the master-blaster batter Sachin Tendulkar, Jasia kept playing domestic tournaments and honed her skills. She played in the boys' team for under-13, under-14, under-15 and under-16 cricket between 2003 and 2006 and along the way, inspired the girls in her neighbourhood to pick up the bat.

Come 2007, Jasia had to put a hard stop on her dreams. Belonging to a middle-class family, Jasia was forced to give up on cricket so that her family could save enough to fill their stomachs. But by 2011, Jasia’s teacher, Khalid, took the weight of their money-crunched situation to not let such a talent go to waste. Khalid paid for Jasia’s cricket-related necessities and ensured lack of money did not hold Jasia back from chasing her dreams.

Jasia soon made a comeback with Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA) in 2012, scoring 65 runs against Himachal Pradesh. However, due to a lack of infrastructure, Jasia moved to Amristar to play for Punjab Cricket Association.

Fast forward to her recent record-breaking performances, Jasia was the second top-scorer in the Senior Women's T20 Trophy with 273 runs at the best strike rate of over 139. This led to her selection in the Central Zone side for the Senior Women's Inter-Zonal T20s where she was the third top-scorer with 202 runs. She went on to score 114 runs in the four-team Senior Women's T20 Challenger Trophy.

Success continued to flow as she captained Rajasthan the first year she was signed, in the Senior Women's One Day Trophy and led her team to the semis as well as scoring 501 runs at a strike rate of 112.58.

Jasia excelled at athletics and softball too. She was selected in the PT Usha Academy for trials but her heart had always belonged to cricket.

From hiding her bat in her kurta just to hit a few shots with the local boys, to playing for the inaugural TATA WPL, Jasia Akhter has come a long way. We are more than rejoiced to have her on the Capitals Universe.