When England stars took guard against young street cricketers

CHENNAI: Interacting with England cricketstars Joe Root and Sam Curran was an overwhelming and a once-in-a-lifetime experience for Monisha B, a 16-year-old bowler who represented India in the Street Child Cricket team at Lord’s in 2019.
“My friends and family did not believe I chatted with the two icons until I showed them the screenshots from the video conference,” said the Class X student from Wall Tax Road.
Ahead of the first test in Chennai, England Test captain Joe Root, and England and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) player Sam Curran, interacted with city cricketers Paulraj V and Monisha in a video conference organised by the British deputy high commission in Chennai. While Root was speaking from a hotel in Chennai, Sam Curran was at his home in the UK after returning from England’s series win in Sri Lanka.
Pauraj and Monisha, who grew up on the streets of Chennai, have been mentored by the Indian charity Karunalaya, and the UK charity, Street Child United.
The two young Chennaiites quizzed the players on how they got into the game, swapped stories about winning a World Cup at Lord’s Cricket Ground and discussed the upcoming England-India series.
The Indian team, which included Monisha, had defeated the UK team in the 2019 final. “It was an unforgettable experience. Joe and the team also won the World Cup on the same turf in the same year. I am proud that both of us became World Champions at Lord’s,” said Monisha in the 20-minute call.
For Paulraj, 18, meeting his favourite CSK player, Sam Curran, was a thrilling experience. “I had so many questions but the second I saw them, I went blank. I was awestruck,” said the 2nd year college student, who is an all-rounder.