Kiran Navgire: A supreme athlete turned cricketer inspired by MS Dhoni’s World Cup winning six

Kiran Navgire stole the limelight with her scintillating 34-ball 69 for Velocity against the Trailblazers in what was her maiden outing with the bat at the Women’s T20 Challenge.
 By Roshan Gede Updated: May 27, 2022, 15:58 IST
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Navgire holds the record for the highest individual score by any Indian in T20 cricket, male or female, having scored 162 in a Women's Senior T20 Trophy fixture against Nagaland last month.

The third game of the ongoing Women’s T20 Challenge 2022 between the Trailblazers and Velocity on Thursday turned out to be a high-scoring one, with 364 runs being scored across the two innings combined. Sabbhineni Meghana (73 off 47) and Jemimah Rodrigues (66 off 44) powered the Trailblazers to 190/5, which was enough to secure a 16-run win. Velocity might’ve gone down, but were able to progress to the tournament final, thanks to Kiran Navgire, who smashed 69 off 34 to help the side surpass the cut-off score of 158.

The right-hander, having walked in at No.3 in the fifth over of the chase, smashed five hits to the fence and as many over it, against an attack comprising quality internationals like Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Poonam Yadav, Hayley Matthews and Salma Khatun. She crossed fifty with a six downtown off her 25th ball, making it the fastest in competition’s history.

It wasn’t for the first time that the Solapur-born grabbed headlines with her blistering strokeplay.

Who is Kiran Navgire?

KIran Navgire was born in May 1995 in Solapur, Maharashtra. Her father is a farmer and mother, a homemaker. Navgire had initially been into athletics, displaying a wide range of talent in 100 metres, javelin and shot put.

As MS Dhoni would send the entire nation in a sense of frenzy and razzmatazz with his soaring World Cup winning six on that April eve in Mumbai, a 16-year-old Kiran would forever be drawn to the game, dreaming to clear the ropes and winning games in a manner similar to that of her idol.

“I really feel good when I hit sixes and whenever I practise in the nets. I practise hitting sixes, I follow Dhoni sir and I love finishing like him, hitting big sixes,” Navgire told her teammate Yastika Bhatia during an interaction for bcci.tv after her whirlwind knock on Thursday.

“I watched the 2011 World Cup final and Dhoni sir’s winning sixer is something that impressed me and remained imprinted in my head. That six inspired me and I always feel that in every match, I can hit a six like that.”


As Navgire opens up further on her game, she says that her batting relies on strength and the secret lies in focusing on the ball, regardless of who delivers it.

The cricketing journey had flourished early on at the Savitribai Phule Pune University, where Navgire played cricket during her graduation days. That she was good enough to represent the University cricket team for three straight seasons between 2013-14 and 2015-16 is an achievement worth marvelling upon, let alone her representation in 100 metres, javelin and shot put at the same juncture, and the feats that preceded thereafter.

She took a two-year course at the Azam Campus in Pune, where she also received a formal training for the first time. Not so long after, she’d begin her domestic career with the Maharashtra team at the 2018-19 Senior Women's One Day League.


However, lack of opportunities prompted a decision to represent Nagaland as a guest player. The right-handed stroke-maker grabbed headlines last month, when she smashed an unbeaten 162 against Arunachal Pradesh in a 2021-22 Women's Senior T20 Trophy fixture at the Barsapara Stadium, Guwahati. Her 76-ball blitz - one that included 10 fours and a staggering 16 sixes - is the only 150-plus score by an Indian, male or female, till date.

She was then picked for the Velocity team for the Women’s T20 Challenge 2022, and with her steady progress and current form, a national call-up might not be far away.


 

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