Minnu Mani Becomes the First Kerala Woman to Play for India

Minnu Mani, the daughter of a daily wage labourer, made her hometown proud when she became the first Kerala woman to play for the Indian team in an international match. The woman’s cricket team had been preparing to play against Bangladesh at Mirpur on July 9th 2023. This was Minnu Mani’s first time playing for the Indian team. She was capped by Smriti Mandhana, who is Minu’s favourite player. During this international T20I match, she took a wicket in the first over, making all Indian viewers proud. She took down the Bangladesh opener Shamima Sultana with the wicket. Other players in the Indian team spoke highly of Minu when asked about the match. It is safe to say that Minu did not leave any stone unturned to make the first match of her career a successful one. 

Minu hails from Mananthavady in the Wayanad district of Kerala. Following the news of her selection, Minu’s parents were overwhelmed with joy and distributed sweets to the locals. The local news channels broadcasted the news and Minnu Mani became their new hope. Everyone turned to their phones to watch the Bangladesh and India match on the Youtube channel of the Bangladesh Cricket Board since there was no telecast of it elsewhere. In the match, Bangladesh made 114 runs in 20 overs. The match ended with Inda’s win when they chased down the target in 16.2 overs.