Bharti, Vidarbha's Lady Gayle, gets a chance to prove her mettle

NAGPUR: Bharti Fulmali's cricketing journey started in her childhood. Since her powerful hit broke the rear-view mirror of a two-wheeler in a gully match with boys in 2004, the 24-year-old hasn't looked back.
Bharti's aggressive batting style always kept her ahead of the competition. At 13, she played for Vidarbha Under-19 team. At 17, the right-handed batswoman made senior women's T20 debut in 2011-12 and earned her nickname - Lady Gayle - after hitting big sixes against Madhya Pradesh.
The two sixes off Shaila Alam not only announced Bharti's arrival in women's circuit but also gave Vidarbha a stable middle-order batter, who shared responsibilities with India player Mona Meshram.After Mona left for Railways, Bharti has been carrying the team on her young shoulders.
Taking a leaf out of Chris Gayle's swashbuckling approach, middle-order batswoman Bharti battered Andhra women bowling attack. She hit five huge sixes and six boundaries in Senior Women's One-day League that concluded last month.
The 77 runs off 83 balls against Andhra in Guntur proved Bharti's aggression. Her back-to-back match-defining knocks for India Blue, against quality bowling, in recently concluded Challenger Trophy showed the matured and composed side of the Vidarbha girl.
Though Bharti's 69 off 97 balls in Challenger Trophy final went in vain, it put her in the national selectors' radar. After finishing as the second highest run-getter in challengers with 114 runs in three matches, her next chance to make another mark is on February 18.
Bharti has been included in Board President's XI, to be captained by Smriti Mandhana, for a game against touring England side. Former India women's allrounder Reema Malhotra feels Bharti must make the chance count. "She did well in the challengers this time. It's good that selectors have put faith in her abilities. I hope she grabs the opportunity with both the hands," said Reema, the only active Hindi women commentator in the country.
Bharti, who started her professional coaching with World Cricket Academy, now practices at Amravati's SGCA. Responsibility always brings out the best out of her. In 2015-16, Bharti was made Vidarbha Under-23 skipper for the first time. "She bats really well when under pressure. After becoming the captain, she batted differently and notched-up her first century against Rajasthan," former VCA coach said.
A responsible knock of 34 against Maharashtra, followed by 76* & 55 against Haryana and Punjab respectively in this season's One-day League added to her growing reputation. The most stand-out knock of the season was her unbeaten 45 which helped India Blue record victory over India Green in challengers.
Bharti has been playing for Vidarbha since many years. Now, she needs to make all her chances count to realize her dream of playing for country. "She is talented and has the capacity to hit the ball hard. She can score quickly if required. I want to see her become a bit more consistent," said Reema.