This is a great time to be a woman cricketer: Phoebe Litchfield

In 2019, when she was just 16, a video of Phoebe Litchfield batting in the nets went viral on social media. Soon, she started playing league cricket in Australia and there has been no looking back since then. The 21-year-old batter made her debut in international cricket in 2022 and currently, she is an important member of Team Australia in all formats of the game. Phoebe, who was in Vadodara recently to represent Gujarat Giants for a women’s cricket league, thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The talented batter shares, “The Baroda Cricket Association (BCA) stadium in Kotambi has awesome facilities and our team loved playing there. Playing in different cities in India has been an amazing experience. The kind of fan-following the sport enjoys here is so good to see! Sometimes, I envy the kind of adulation cricketers enjoy in India. While Indian food is a bit spicy, I loved everything about the country. Fans here love their cricketers and the energy at the stadiums during matches is unmatched.” During her stay, Phoebe also met Radhikaraje Gaekwad from the Baroda royal family. She tells us, “It was very sweet of her (Radhikaraje) to show us around the palace (Laxmi Vilas Palace). It’s such a grand palace! We also visited the Gajra Café in Vadodara (it is run by members of the LGBTQIA+ community) and it was an enriching experience.” Phoebe has also played hockey for Australia at the junior level and at the age of 14, she was playing men’s cricket. She says, “At that time, not many girls played cricket with the aim of taking it up professionally. While it (playing men’s cricket) was challenging, it helped to fast-track my skills. Even playing hockey helped my cricket a lot.” She adds, “Women’s cricket has grown exponentially across the globe and it is really heartening. Be it young cricketers earning good money in franchise cricket or getting to see packed stadiums during international games, who would have thought a few years ago that this was possible? This is certainly a great time to be a woman cricketer. Ellyse Perry is one of my favourite cricketers and I look up to her. Among Indian cricketers, I really admire Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.”