India's two former women's team members-Rajeshwari Dholakia Antani and Jyotsna Patel-have been appointed as selectors in the USA.
Rajeshwari has played four Tests and 13 ODIs', whereas Jyotsna Patel is a former Test cricketer who represented India in two Test matches. She was born in Indore, Madhya Pradesh.
Speaking exclusively over the telephone from Houston, where Rajeshwari is living for 28 years after marriage, she said, "It’s a great honor to be appointed Selector US Women’s Cricket Team. It is a challenge to help select the Best of Talent available in the USA. Women’s Cricket here is showing a lot of promise as girls all over the World are taking a keen interest now".
She, however, follows Indian cricket too. "I follow Indian Women’s Cricket very keenly. It has surely progressed leaps and bounds in present times under the BCCI. We are all very proud of our ‘torch bearers’.
"It was such a great honor and privilege to represent India in Women’s Cricket’s glorious and Historical Inceptive years from 1973 to 1983. We played Amateur Cricket popularizing women’s cricket in all the nooks and corners of the country. From 1975 onwards we played Test Series against Australia, West Indies, NZ, England in India. We played NZ in NZ and a Test at Perth, Australia. We played two World Cups as well".
"I got married in Dec. 1982 and played for 5 more months after that. But had to call it quits due to husbands career which took us to many non-cricket playing countries", Rajeshwari added further.
"At age 54, I got an opportunity to get back on the field as a Coach of Youth Cricketers in Houston. Been coaching here for 9 years now. The future of Women’s Cricket is very bright in the USA. There is tremendous hard work put in by admins, coaches, parents and players. Lots of Tournaments are being organized all over the USA to popularize the game", Rajeshwari concluded.
Jyotsna Patel is an avid cricket enthusiast and passionate about promoting the game among girls and women in the US. She has been awarded the lifetime membership of the Madhya Pradesh cricket Association.
She currently serves as a member of the cricket committee of the USA. She was inducted into the Cricket Hall of Fame in 2021.
