Asian Games 2023: The Titas Sadhu story, from keeping scores in local cricket matches to gold medal

Pacer Titas Sadhu picked three wickets in finals of Asian Games 2023 against Sri Lanka this week. (Photo: Twitter)

Titas Sadhu was born into a family of sportsmen in Chinsurah, a city in West Bengal. Her family would discuss sports round the clock, from the breakfast table to the evening gatherings. The athlete-turned-fast bowler dreamt of playing a big final someday. It is not a surprise that she led the bowling attack of the Indian women's cricket team in the Asian Games final against Sri Lanka in Hangzhou this week.

The 18-year-old broke the back of the Sri Lankan top order to help the Indian women's cricket team clinch the gold medal at the 2023 edition of the multisport event.

The Indian women debuted at the event, and Titas, only in her second international match, returned figures of 3/6. The mix of pace and swing troubled Anushka Sanjeewani, who offered an easy catch at mid-off. Then, she ran through Vishmi Gunaratne with a back-of-a-length delivery on the middle and off-stump before getting the better of Chamari Athapaththu, caught at extra cover. The 117-run target started looking steep, and the islanders could not recover from the jolt and finished at 97/8.

Growing into a cricketer under lockdown

The Hooghly district is one of the sports powerhouses in Bengal. Former India footballers Surajit Sengupta and Sisir Ghosh grew into players out of the local grounds. Titas imbibed the athleticism of her grandfather, Ahindra Kumar Sadhu, and father, Ranadeep Sadhu, who represented Bengal in athletics at the junior level till U-16.

The family owns an academy and a club. Sports came naturally to the young girl. "We grew up in an environment where people would go to the local ground and try multiple sports. If someone wants to stick to sports, they are in a position to choose at a certain age. But in those days, people were not brave enough to dream of a future in sports.

"Titas first trained in athletics under my coach, Pinaki Karmakar, and then, she would keep scorecards at cricket matches at our ancestral club, Rajendra Smriti Sangha," Ranadeep tells Moneycontrol.com.

His daughter started as a sprinter, then moved to swimming, table tennis, and cricket. She had grown a cricketing brain by observing the field placements in every game while she kept scores. "Upto the tenth standard, sports was secondary, but after that, we realised she can go beyond. The lockdown started after her last exam day. We had ample time to start her preparations," he adds.

The father-daughter duo had set a two-year deadline to get somewhere during the COVID-19-induced lockdown. "We did strength and endurance training besides skills. That period helped grow into a player. She got a chance with the senior team now, in 2023, which was our objective," says her father. He is concerned that she is not in a position to complete her 12th standard as she needs to establish herself as a cricketer at present.

Positive attitude from the outset

Titas discovered her love for fast bowling once the club called her up as a net bowler. Bengal women's team coach, Shib Shankar Paul, spotted her at one of the training sessions when she was 16. "Immediately, I informed Avishek Dalmiya, Snehasish Ganguly, the other office-bearers and selectors at the Cricket Association of Bengal. I told them I would need her since Jhulan Goswami was not around for every game. I thought she had a bright future because she had pace and could swing the ball both ways, plus bat," says Paul, adding: "Even before representing India, she had a positive attitude towards her game."

Titas was recommended to Paul by former Bengal cricketer Priyankar Mukherjee. Paul worked on her action and gave her the direction.

"I worked with her, but credit goes to her first to value my lessons and inputs. I could have been wrong. She is a fast learner. I am proud that the girl I guided with responsibility won a gold medal," says the former Bengal pacer Paul, who ended his career with 220 wickets under his belt.

Paul believes Titas' track and field background worked in her favour. "You need to be an athlete to be a good sportsman," adds Paul.

Titas made her T20I debut at the semifinal against Bangladesh. She returned 1/10 in her four overs at an economy of 2.50.

And before the Asian Games, she was under the spotlight for her match-winning spell of 2/6 against England Women at the U-19 Women's T20 World Cup final in Potchefstroom earlier this year. She has proven her big match temperament, and the future looks promising.