Parunika Sisodia: Winning U19 Women’s T20 World Cup is My Greatest Joy
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Synopsis
Parunika Sisodia expresses her overwhelming joy at winning the U19 Women’s T20 World Cup for India, calling it the happiest moment of her life. Her journey from missing the inaugural win to becoming a key player in the 2025 victory illustrates her commitment to improvement and teamwork.
Key Takeaways
- Parunika Sisodia describes winning the U19 Women’s T20 World Cup as her happiest moment.
- She played a crucial role in India’s victory, taking ten wickets in the tournament.
- The team celebrated their win with joyous and memorable moments.
- Calm leadership from Niki Prasad and support from VVS Laxman contributed to their success.
- Parunika aims to progress further in her cricket career, targeting the senior women’s team.
New Delhi, Feb 7 (NationPress) In the cricket realm, instances of sheer joy are uncommon. However, for Parunika Sisodia, the exhilarating experience of securing the U19 Women’s T20 World Cup for India stands as the most joyous moment of her life.
When Sanika Chalke struck a boundary off Monalisa Legodi at Kuala Lumpur’s Bayuemas Oval on February 2, it signified that India had successfully captured the 2025 U19 Women’s T20 World Cup title, defending the trophy they had won two years earlier in South Africa.
“Oh, I think I’ve never felt so well (when that winning shot was hit). I mean, what I felt after winning that World Cup, it was a dream for me because as I’ve told you earlier, I was not there in the first inaugural World Cup win, as I just missed the cut for it.
“Since then, to be actually going there and winning that World Cup for India, that moment was giving me goosebumps. Even talking about it is literally giving me goosebumps now, and that was like the happiest moment I’ve ever felt,” stated Parunika during an exclusive interview with IANS.
Describing the celebrations within the Indian camp following their World Cup victory, Parunika remarked that it was nothing short of legendary. “I think we had no idea what we were doing. We were so happy that we were just raising our hands. We were just laughing and just soaking in that moment that we have finally won the World Cup.
“Everyone went crazy - someone was dancing on the ground; someone was lying on the ground. We had like quite an interesting photo shoot over there, which you must have seen now on all of our posts – the pookie one and then Bhavika Ahire did this Hardik Pandya-styled celebration. I guess there’s more of it, which is going to come now on social media.”
Parunika’s journey from narrowly missing the triumph in 2023 to claiming ten wickets in the victorious 2025 campaign underscores her dedication to self-improvement and her role as a key contributor to the team’s success in Malaysia.
“All I have ever worked on from the last two years, like how to make myself useful for the team and how to do things in ways where I can make sure that the team will win from here. When the World Cup came, I saw that I was doing it. So I was very excited to come back home and see my videos on how I have done it, because I know somewhere that I have achieved a little part of it,” she expressed.
A standout performance in the tournament occurred during the semi-final against England, where India was struggling to break the opening partnership. Yet, Parunika stepped in and claimed the first two wickets before adding another late in the innings, finishing with figures of 3-21 and earning the Player-of-the-Match award.
While the pressure of bouncing back in a critical semi-final could have been overwhelming, Parunika noted that the atmosphere inside the Indian camp remained surprisingly composed. “To be honest, inside the team, we didn’t have that much of pressure, which people could feel outside.
“But inside it was quite calm, and we just knew that there’s going to be one good ball and we’re going to get back in the game. That ball came with me because I think at that point of time, I had made that much trust in my team that if I am there, you’re going to be okay. Not just me, I think whenever the left arm spinners come, that gives a lot of pressure to the other teams.”
A significant aspect of India’s second consecutive U19 World Cup victory was the left-arm spin bowling group working in perfect harmony. Vaishnavi Sharma led the wicket-taking charts with 17 wickets, while Aayushi Shukla contributed 14, making them three of the four highest wicket-takers in the tournament alongside Parunika.
“We have been playing together for so long that all of us are family only. When any one of us was getting wickets, it literally felt like, ‘it’s our wicket’. There was this thing which we created is, whenever we were in the World Cup, when any of us was bowling, we were just looking in the eyes and we just knew what other person was saying to us.
“I think that has been the best part in this spinners group that you just know what the other person is doing and what I have to do next. Like, how the batters in our team have showed partnerships, I think the bowlers have done the same as a bowling side too,” Parunika added.
VVS Laxman, head of cricket at the BCCI Centre of Excellence, joined the Indian team in the dugout prior to the knockout matches and Parunika stated that he motivated the team by sharing encouraging messages.
“But it concluded on one thing - just be calm at any given moment and always keep things simple and not overthink much and overdo things. I think it was something which helped all of us there in the finals and the semis as well.”
The presence of a composed captain in Niki Prasad also aided India’s success. Niki, who like Parunika put aside the disappointment of not being selected for the previous U19 World Cup under Shafali Verma’s leadership, stepped up since December to guide India to victory in the inaugural U19 Asia Cup and to retain the U19 World Cup title. A fierce and dominant playing style, as defined by Niki, led to these trophy wins, paving the way for a lasting legacy in women’s cricket in India.
“I think she (Niki) is one of the calmest persons I have ever met. So, even if, a lot of times it has happened that I or, one of the girls from the left-armers group did something which can irritate anyone.
“But she was calm and gave a very calm response that ‘don’t do that, do it like this’. She has always given a positive response to us. I think that was something which also helped us to be there and be ourselves.
“It’s been very special because getting 2 trophies, one with ICC and one with ACC, we are creating that legacy in women’s cricket now to keep winning those trophies.
“As Niki has mentioned a lot of times that we are here to dominate, and that was the goal - to be out there, be ruthless and just go for it no matter what. It is something which has given us a very good result. So, we feel quite satisfied with that. But definitely, we are focused on the coming up things now,” Parunika elaborated.
Before each match, Parunika consistently seeks advice from her father Sudhir Singh Sisodia, a cricket coach who motivated her to transition from tennis to cricket in 2018.
“My dad didn’t talk much about how everyone is feeling at home. The only conversations we had were he always just told me ‘all the best, do well, enjoy the game and be yourself out there’.”
“The conversation has always been this for every single day since the time I was there from Asia Cup to the World Cup. He has told me to just go ahead, do well and let the results be results, and even if we were winning, he just told whatever is done is done.”
Despite the two significant months marked by trophy wins, Parunika has her sights set on greater ambitions, such as representing India’s senior women’s team. She understands that consistent progress is vital for reaching her ultimate goal.
“Obviously, stepping into the senior team is the main goal. But for now, I think I have my domestic cricket coming up, the under-23 one-dayers and the multi-days. So, I’ll be focusing on that for now. Then we have this Emerging Asia Cup, so, I’m eyeing that too,” she concluded.
