Karuna Bhandari

Following the recent Prime Minister Cup we caught up with Karuna Bhandari, who was awarded “bowler of the tournament” having taken 13 wickets at an Economy of 3.02 in her 5 games. She spoke to us about her background, aspirations for the future and her tactics when it comes for preparing for games.

How long have you been playing cricket for?

Professionally I have been playing cricket for 10 years.

How did you start playing?

My inspiration came from the 1999 World Cup semi-final between Australia and South Africa. That lit the spark of cricket inside of me.

Are your family supportive of you playing cricket? Do any of them play?

Yes absolutely, my family have always supported me throughout.

Why do you enjoy playing?

When I enter the field it is a different world for me, it’s like meditation in that it’s a complete escape from everyday life.

What do you do in your day to day life?

I wake up, freshen up, meditate, head to the office, train, go back home. I use my personal time to do things I love like taking my dog for a walk or watching television. My work is cricket and that is the beauty of it, heading to work means training and doing things to keep myself fit 6 days a week. Had I had another kind of job it would have been a real challenge to survive as a national player and balance my social life.

How was the tournament?

Despite all of the crazy things that have been happening around the world the tournament was like hitting a refresh button after long time. Going back to field and playing was an amazing feeling and it was good to see so much young talent thriving. One to watch for the future is 13 year old Jyotiska Marshini from the Gandaki Province.

How often do you train?

Because of covid-19 we haven't been able to train much.

What do you think about before you bowl?

My plan always is to focus on delivering a dot ball and that eventually turns the game around.

Do you get nervous before games?

Of course. But once you enter the field and get into the game, you forget fear and nervousness.

How do you prepare for games?

We work on our fitness, diet and extend training hours

What is your job/ what do you do besides playing cricket?

Beside cricket I work for the Armed Police Force.

What are your dreams/ what do you want to achieve with cricket?

My current dream is to win the world cup qualifiers.

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