WPL 2024: Meet Sajana, who went from facing devastation in Kerala floods in 2018 to hitting a famous first-ball six for MI vs DC

WPL 2024: Meet Sajana, who went from facing devastation in Kerala floods in 2018 to hitting a famous first-ball six for MI vs DC

Challenges, whether on the field or off the field, are not new to Sajana Sajeevan. The 29-year-old came out to bat for the first time in her Women’s Premier League (WPL) career, possibly with the most difficult task in cricket. Mumbai Indians needed 5 runs off 1 ball. She nervelessly deposited the ball over wide-long on for a six to cap off a memorable win for the defending champions against Delhi Capitals and became the talk of the town.

Flashback to August 2018. Sajana had been picked to play for India Reds in the Women’s Challenger Trophy to be held in Bengaluru. But there was a catch. As Kerala reeled under the devastating floods, especially Sajana’s hometown of Mananthavady in Wayanad, she was stuck at home and time was running out.

“There was water all around us and there was no way to get out of the house. I was sure that I was going to miss the matches. Not only us, but our neighbours were also trying to escape from the floods,” Sajana recalled during an interaction with The Indian Express in December after the WPL auction in which the Mumbai Indians picked her up for Rs 15 lakh.

Luckily, the police came to Sajana’s help with boats just in the nick of time during the floods. “I took my cricket kit and a few clothes and hopped on to the boat. Even though I reached Bangalore to play in the Challenger Trophy, I was disturbed as our house was devastated by the floods. My teammates supported me a lot and I somehow managed to play on,” she said.

Sajana’s mental fortitude to deal with adversities was once again on display on Friday. MI captain Harmanpreet Kaur remarked how good her ball-striking in practice has been. Yatika Bhatia went further and labelled Sajana the Kieron Pollard of this team.

While Sajana, a right-hand batter and off-spinner, shot to instant fame under the Chinnaswamy Stadium floodlights, her story is one of toil, riddled with highs and lows in equal parts.

Like her junior Kerala teammate Minnu Mani, who made her WPL debut with Delhi and the senior Indian team last year, Sajana also hails from the tribal Kurichya community. Her father Sajeevan is an autorickshaw driver and her mother Sarada is a panchayat ward councillor.

Read | S Sajana’s six, Harmanpreet Kaur’s return to form marks WPL’s blockbuster start

Sajeevan said Sajana was the only girl child among the immediate family: “So she used to play with her male cousins and other friends. Those days, they used to play cricket with a bat made out of coconut petiole and plastic balls in the paddy fields. I was a cricket fan and used to support her playing cricket but her mother and grandmother didn’t like it back then. We were not financially sound and when I used to buy plastic balls for her during temple festivals, they used to scold me.”

Sajana studied in a government residential school in Pookode from Class 6 to 10, the years that formed the sportsperson in her. “I played all sorts of sports back then – basketball, volleyball, kho-kho, long jump, high jump, javelin throw, shot put, 800m run.”

She became serious about cricket after joining Mananthavady Government Vocational HSS for Class 11. “The physical education instructor there, Elsamma teacher, found a spark in me as a cricketer and she asked me to try for Kerala Cricket Association’s trials,” said Sajana, who went on to lead U-19 and U-23 teams.

Sajana told Yastika in a post-match chat on wplt20 about the financial crunch she faced. “I did not have funds to travel. When I was selected to play for my district, I started earning Rs 150 per day as a daily allowance. That was big money for me. Then, it went to (Rs) 300 and 900. I wanted to feel happy for my parents,” she recalled.

Under Sajana’s leadership, Kerala won the U-23 national T20 championship 2018. In the final against Maharashtra in Mumbai, Sajana was once again the star for Kerala, scoring an unbeaten 24 off 19 balls, seeing through a tricky chase.

Sajana fondly remembered the bat with which she hit that match-winning knock. It was gifted to her by Gautam Gambhir when he came to Wayanad to play a Ranji Trophy game in 2016. “When Gambhir sir was practising, I was among a group of fielders. When he saw me stopping the ball without fumbling, he was impressed and gave me a bat. It was the first proper cricket bat I ever had and the most prized possession in my career. I even scored an 84-ball century in an U-23 match against Tamil Nadu with that bat.”

After not getting picked for WPL 2023, Sajana was disappointed. “She had great hopes of playing in the first year of WPL and opening up her route into the national team. Even though she was dejected after the auction, she quickly recovered and got back to practicing more rigorously,” said KCA coach Jestin Fernandez.

“Like Minnu, she also has to travel for nearly 50 km from her home to reach the Krishnagiri Stadium in Wayanad to practice but she makes it a point not to miss the sessions,” said Fernandez, who witnessed Sajana’s match-winning six from close quarters at the stadium in Bengaluru, along with several other members of the Wayanad cricket support system, including Elsamma teacher.

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