14 January 2023.
The Sadhu household in Chinsurah, a small city in West Bengal, had made grand preparations for what they expected would be a momentous occasion. The Indian U19 women’s team were to play their first match in the inaugural edition of the ICC Women’s U19 T20 World Cup, against hosts South Africa.
For any other Indian fan, the match that unfolded had a plethora of reasons to spark ecstasy. Shafali Verma's girls were dominant from start to finish, in what was a remarkable seven-wicket triumph. In the Sadhu household, however, perhaps the euphoria was a tad subdued, for despite the team being victorious, the pride of the city was nowhere to be seen.
Titas Sadhu, the 18-year-old prodigious pacer, was not selected in the playing XI, despite doing reasonably well in the matches preceding the competition.
29 January 2023.
In the same location, but fifteen days later, on display was a quintessential example of euphoric paroxysm. There was nothing subdued anymore, for the U19 women’s team were world champions, and whilst any victory in cricket is a product of combined contributions, it was indisputable who deserved a lion’s share of the applause – Titas Sadhu.
The pacer, who started her campaign with non-selection, ended it with an extraordinary spell of 4-0-6-2 against England. The player of the match award followed, and so did a gamut of rewards.
Titas Sadhu of India poses after being named Player of the Match following the ICC Women's U19 T20 World Cup 2023 Final match between India and England at JB Marks Oval on January 29, 2023 in Potchefstroom, South Africa
Speaking about his daughter’s exemplary comeback, Titas’ father, Ranadeep Sadhu proudly informs The Quint, “We were quite taken aback after she was not selected in the team for the first match. I am saying this not because I’m her father, but after her performance in the final, I hope it is now evident that she is the best pacer in that team.”
“Her performance in the second team was decent – it was not quite extraordinary, but after being dropped for the opening match, her confidence had taken a beating. But as the tournament progressed and she understood that she is an integral part of the playing XI, she lived up to her full potential,” he further adds.
The Sadhu household was taken aback after Titas was not selected for the first match.
(Photo: Sourced by The Quint)
Tracing the Roots
Tracing the roots of her daughter’s ties with the game, Ranadeep, who works as a physical trainer whenever his business commitments allow him to, recollects “I am associated with an ancestral club in my locality, we play in various leagues. Titas would come along with us at times, just like how the kids usually do. With time, she grew an interest in the game.”
She has always been athletic – it was not only restricted to cricket. Titas would attend swimming lessons, and also do well in table tennis. She was in the seventh standard when she took cricket seriously and decided to make a profession out of itRanadeep Sadhu, father of Titas Sadhu
Once Ranadeep knew her daughter had made her decision, he tried to ensure the best facilities are available to her. Priyankar Mukherjee, a former Ranji Trophy player for Bengal who also is a coach in the local academy, would teach her about the game, and also play a crucial role in her selection to the Bengal women’s team.
“Priyankar sent one of her bowling videos to Shib Sankar Paul, the then coach of the women’s team of Bengal. After impressing him in the nets, she played in a couple of practice matches and did well in both to get drafted into the main team,” says Sadhu senior.
Choosing Uncertain Cricket Over Certain Academic Success
Till then, the pathway to the Indian team seemed all too certain, and the journey to earn the royal blue seemed all too elementary. Except, things do not often work out according to plans in cricket – something Titas would learn the hard way.
In her first season with the Bengal team, she would play only two matches and perform poorly on both occasions, following which she would remain on the bench for the rest of the season.
She was still not mentally prepared to play at such a high level. Moreover, being very young, her seriousness towards the game was still not close to the requisite levelRanadeep Sadhu, father of Titas Sadhu
Seeing her daughter experience melancholy and sorrow at a very tender age, Sadhu senior did what perhaps any other affluent father would have done in such a situation – elaborate and explain about the other career options, and why cricket is not the end of life.
But for her, the unfaltering teenager, there were hardly any differentiators between life and cricket.
“Given that she was also a bright student, I had told her that the probability of doing well in academics is much more than that of doing well in cricket. Titas, however, took her time and came to the conclusion that cricket is what she wants to pursue in her life,” informs Sadhu.
A bright student, Titas Sadhu chose cricket over a promising academic career.
(Photo: Sourced by The Quint)
Breaking Into the Indian Squad
With renewed zeal, she made a comeback at the Bengal Women’s T20 Challenge, and amid a host of renowned names, ended up being the leading wicket-taker. Subsequently, the national selectors drafted her into a pool of 100 probables for the U19 T20 World Cup squad.
Ranadeed says “She was among the 100 cricketers to have been called up for the trails. They had grouped the girls into six teams for a warm-up tournament, where Titas was among the top three wicket-takers. After this, I was quite certain that she would make it to the final squad.”
The rest, despite the banality and frequent platitudinous use of the phrase, is well and truly, history. For what Titas helped India achieve was historical – the first ICC title to have been won by a women’s Indian team.
For the Sadhus, life has changed. As Titas boards the flight to India, after attending tens of events, Ranadeep’s phone is inundated with calls and WhatsApp messages from fervid journalists – some of whom have already made the trip to Chinsurah, and are now busy enquiring directions to his house from the next-block-neighbours.
Ranadeep Sadhu's immediate aim is to keep her daughter level-headed amid a surge of public attention.
(Photo: Sourced by The Quint)
But the father’s plans are somewhat different.
“We hail from a small town. After such an achievement, it is inevitable that life will become much more flamboyant and there will be public attention 24*7 – our job is to prevent that from hampering her growth. She is still just 18, so my goal is to keep her level-headed,” he concludes.
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