Since the time teenage sensation Mahika Gaur was named in England women's squad for the series against Sri Lanka, there was an air of anticipation and excitement among fans when it came to watching the 17-year-old weave her magic with the ball. The tall left-arm seamer, who idolises Australia's Mitchell Starc, has an uncanny resemblance with the Aussie superstar. With smooth run-up, silky action and the ability to move the ball around both ways, Gaur's skillset is bound to captivate onlookers.
On August 31 (Thursday) when Mahika Gaur donned England's thread for the first time, she lived up to the hype in a rain-curtailed match. While the dark clouds and rain hampered Gaur from bowling her full quota of four overs, she gave an excellent account of her potential and proved just why there is so much hype surrounding her.
In England's 12-run (D/L method) win over Sri Lanka at County Ground in Hove, the left-arm seamer bowled two overs, conceded 16 runs and bagged one wicket. She dismissed Sri Lanka's skipper Chamari Athapaththu with a typical fast bowler's delivery. A good length delivery swinging away from the left-handed Athapaththu kissed the outside edge as the batter went for an almighty heave.
Watch the video here:
Gaur made her international debut at the tender age of 12. She played for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) before switching to England. In a recent chat with ESPNcricinfo, Gaur revealed how she used to dream about finishing matches like former India captain MS Dhoni and voiced her fandom for the Indian superstar.
"One of the players I looked up to was Dhoni," she said.
"He is the CSK captain, so I am a big CSK fan. We would watch all his finishes. My first ever cricket jersey was a picture of Dhoni and on the back it said 'Mahi 7' because he's Mahi and I am Mahi as well.
"I think it's why I started liking cricket, because he was making the team win from impossible situations. When I was younger, I would also dream of finishing matches like he did," she added.
Gaur will get another opportunity to showcase her skills on September 2 (Saturday) when England take on Sri Lanka in the second T20I.Â
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