Minnu Mani fell in love with cricket as a kid and she used to play the game along with boys in the paddy fields in her native village nestled in the foothills of the Brahmagiri Hills in Wayanad. The little girl, however, had few opportunities to pursue her dream and she used to compete in athletics in her early school days. But all that changed once she joined the Mananthavady Government Vocational Higher Secondary School (GVHSS), located about 6 kms from her home at Edappadi, a tribal hamlet.
Elsamma Baby, then physical education teacher at the school, was quick to spot that Minnu’s future lay in cricket and not in athletics. That was the beginning of a dream journey which has taken her to the India ‘A’ team for the Bangladesh tour and Asian Cricket Council’s Emerging Women’s Asia Cup.
“To be frank the call-up to the ‘A’ team was unexpected. I am very happy and proud. I think it has been a reward for my consistent performances,” Minnu told Onmanorama over the phone from the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru. The India ‘A’ team’s tour of Bangladesh begins on Friday.
Shining stars
Minnu and her senior state team captain Sajana S are being touted as the brightest young talents among the current crop of players in Kerala, and interestingly, both of them emerged from the same institution.
“When Minnu joined the school in 2011 we were in the early stages of forming a women’s cricket team. My daughter (Anumol Baby) had represented Kerala and she used to coach both Minnu and Sajana whenever she came home for vacation. Shanavas, a former student of mine and an A level coach, was also of great help. At first Minnu started with tennis ball cricket and it was only later the Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) provided us with bats and leather balls,” said Elsamma.
A humble Elsamma is quick to point out that she along with Anumol, who has also completed A level coaching, only guided Minnu and the rest has been the result of her hard work and the KCA’s systematic grooming of young players.
“I took her to the open trials in Kollam and Minnu was picked for the training programme at the KCA academy in Thodupuzha. I must add that whenever there was a break Minnu used to come home and she was eager to train under my daughter as she could receive individual attention,” said Elsamma.
“The big plus for Minnu is that she’s a left-hander. She has the potential, and with more exposure, I believe she will be able to get into the national team,” said Elsamma.
Minnu, who is a handy off-spinner besides being a brilliant fielder, represented India Blue in the Under-23 One-Day Challenger Trophy at Ranchi in April this year.
The shy and soft-spoken youngster caught the attention of the national selectors when the Kerala U-23 women's team won the national T20 championship in Mumbai last year. Minnu was the standout performer for the champions as she finished with 188 runs and eleven wickets. Minnu, who performed exceptionally over the year, was awarded Junior Cricketer of the Year by the KCA.
Minnu, who hails from the Kurichia tribal community, has defied heavy odds to come up thus far. The 20-year-old’s father is a daily wager and her house was badly affected during last year’s floods which wreaked havoc across Kerala.
These have been exciting times for women’s cricket in India and age is on Minnu’s side. The Bangladesh tour could well be the beginning of Minnu realising her dream of playing for the Indian senior team.
