Name Hindi: पूर्णिमा राऊ / Gender Woman
Purnima Rau
Purnima Rau is a highly celebrated former cricketer from India who served as the captain of her team in ten Test matches. Having played both One Day Internationals (ODI) and Women’s Test cricket, she has left significant footprints on Indian sports history with her exemplary sportsmanship.
Early Life and Education
Born on January 31, 1967 in Khammam, Telangana, Purnima Rau entered professional cricket at an early age. She attended St Joseph’s Public School in Hyderabad where she took part in various school-level matches that honed her talent for the sport. Despite facing numerous financial and societal pressure pertaining to participating in a male-dominated sport, her unyielding resilience enabled her to overcome obstacles coming her way.
International Cricket Career
Rau made her first international appearance at the ripe young age of just seventeen during the ODI match against West Indies held on December 12, 1986. She then shifted towards playing more odious Test Match series and performed extraordinarily well over those years as one of the chief championships estates of Indian women’s cricket.
- In total, Purnima participated in five test matches scoring 123 runs along with an unbeaten fifty and twelve wickets.
- She bagged a record-breaking score by making unbeaten half-centuries in three consecutive games
- Rau represented India in two World Cups – 1993 Sydney and 2000 Christchurch editions. Across these tournaments, she scored three half-centuries as wel..
- A fine off-spinner as well, she claimed fourteen scalps across both formats, displaying her versatility to the world.
Captaincy
Given her leadership skills and cricket ability, Purnima Rau was made captain in 1991 where she served until 2000. During her reign as a leader, India’s women’s team saw considerable success with several victorious matches under her stewardship.
Contributions Off The Field
- Lovingly addressed as the lady “Sunny” due to her attacking batting style that echoed Sunil Gavaskar, Purnima moved on from being an iconic player and stepped into coaching and mentorship post-retirement.
- She worked tirelessly for the promotion of women’s cricket at a grassroots level in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
- Rau previously held the post of coach for India’s U-19 Women’s side and later became a chief coach for India’s national woman cricket team in 2014.
- Under her guidance, Hyderabad’s senior women’s cricket team won three National Championships.
Purnima Rau‘s journey is not just about personal accomplishments but inspiring successive generations of women cricketers. Her life offers ample evidence that perseverance coupled with dedication can break any barrier – a premise she fueled both on-field and off field, thus immortalizing herself in the annals of Indian Cricket history.
