The former state-level Indian cricketer helping her fellow athletes create a better life
An opening batter of great promise, Anupriya worked her way up the age group levels to break into the senior women’s cricket team of the Indian state of Jharkhand before injury cut her career short.
“The highest level I’ve ‘technically’ played is state senior level. I say ‘technically’ because I got injured on my debut tour. Did the tour, was on the team – but never ended up playing a game,” she explained.
She shared the field with the likes of Punam Raut, Vanitha VR, and Veda Krishnamurthy, all of whom went on to represent India.
As a player, Anupriya witnessed first-hand how women’s cricket in India has evolved over the years.
The state of women’s cricket in India in the 2000s
Since its foundation in 1973, the Women’s Cricket Association of India (WCAI) was the national governing body of women’s cricket in India until November 2006, when it was merged into the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
Anupriya’s playing career saw her get a taste of both eras.
“I was part of the generation where we saw the before and the after. The before was what I grew up watching and living. Two berths reserved in the train for 16 players, no water in the toilets of the hostels we were staying in, so going without baths or using the bathroom for 4-5 days on end.”
“Under the BCCI, there was a world of difference – from ground quality to the hotels we stayed at. I remember the first time we got booked train tickets and they were AC second tier, not sleeper!”
The upgrade in facilities led to an uptick in performance as well. “I definitely noticed a big shift in the level of cricket,” said Anupriya. “Earlier, senior players weren’t as serious. But when I got to the senior level, the attitude had become way more cutthroat. It was a legit career option for everyone.”
The difference between men’s and women’s cricket
The Jharkhand senior men’s cricket team, which at the time boasted the likes of MS Dhoni and Varun Aaron, would also have conditioning camps in the stadium at the same time.
Despite being part of the same association, there was a stark difference in how the men’s and women’s teams were treated.
“We had fewer matches and didn’t get access to the same facilities,” said Anupriya. “Our kits were different. Sizes ordered for men that were left over were given to us. That’s why all our kits had to be tailored to fit us, which we paid for out of our pocket.”
Helping fellow athletes
The idea to do something to help her fellow athletes first came to Anupriya during the Covid-19 pandemic, when her former Jharkhand teammates approached her for help.
Cricket matches being called off during the pandemic meant no match fees for them, which meant no income and therefore no livelihood.
“An athlete in India doesn’t fit the stereotype of ‘poor’,” she explained. “Even athletes from marginalised backgrounds, in my opinion, have a higher sense of self. They’re mostly well travelled, at least within the country if not abroad, and they don’t consider themselves as helpless.”
“I understood them and where they were coming from, and they felt easier confiding in me because I was a peer, not someone judging them or disrespecting them. And I had the knowledge to advocate for them. This is basically how the foundation was born.”
The aim of Aparajita Foundation
“I consider myself and the foundation as a bridge, connecting those who need help with the help that is out there.”
“Right now we are helping about 10-12 athletes directly, either financially or with making caste certificates, applying for jobs, etc. We are also petitioning the government to remove some obviously discriminatory laws or regulations related to athletes in government recruitment and any other sort of politico-legal matter,” Anupriya elaborated.
Moving to the UK
Looking for ways to run the foundation more effectively, Anupriya found the ideal career move in the form of a Master’s in Sport Management, Politics and International Development at Loughborough University.
“I didn’t feel like I had the competency or skillset to run a foundation. When you sit in a room trying to advocate for people they (the professional class) can’t see, then (in India, at least) either you are those people; which, given my long-time separation from cricket, they didn’t see me as; or you have some relevant qualification to say it,” she explained.
While on the course, she noticed a significant difference in the state of sports in India as compared to the UK.
“I think our problem is on a sociological level – we do not recognise sports as a profession. Even now, when there is money in a lot of sports. I would say it has casteist roots. Physical labour is considered not respectable. Sport is physical labour.”
Future goals
Helping athletes is the foundation’s primary aim, far beyond any personal or professional recognition.
“Due to my lived experience, I am much better placed to help athletes than help any other section of society,” said Anupriya.
“If we are honest and do our stuff without trying to develop personal brands, we will stay a trustworthy source of support for athletes – and that’s important.”
