Rolling her arm under

“The 2007 national games in Guwahati was the first time lawn bowls was held as part of a major competition in the country,and I finished runners-up then. That was the first time I had played the sport in my life,” said Kaushik,hours after upsetting England in the second round of the women’s triples to keep their semi-final hopes alive.

But while she may be a new convert to the sport,she isn’t exactly new to sports per se. A physical education instructor at Delhi Public School (RK Puram),Kaushik’s first love was,not surprisingly,cricket.

“I first came to know about lawn bowl in 2007,when it was decided to introduce the game in the Nationals as a preparation for the Commonwealth Games. Coach Richard Gale and Julie (the current team manager),along with some others,had come to our school to get the children acquainted with the game. My job was only to act as a liaison. But then,I went to Guwahati as an escort to the team and was asked to be a member of the Delhi team instead! I finished runners-up there in the pairs event and decided to get serious about it,” she said.

Help from close quarters
It helped that the school principal also happens to be the vice president of the Lawn Bowling Federation of India. “Generally,it is not easy to pursue active sports,especially at the national and international level,while continuing with your job. But till date I have not faced any problems,” she said.

Julie admits it was surprising but insists there was merit in the decision. “Pinky was among the first students we had and she has proved that we were not wrong,” she said.

Kaushik,however,admits she often finds herself explaining to people that she plays lawn bowl.

“They ask,‘what’s that’ and I have to explain it in detail before they get the whole idea. Also,it sometimes feels awkward that I am the only participant from Delhi among the 26 probables.

“I guess that’s because there are no bowling greens in the city. Only now we have these four (at the Nehru Stadium complex),with two each coming up at our school and the Yamuna sports complex,so I am hopeful there will more people taking to the sport now,” she said.

Most of the Indian players are either from Jharkhand or Assam,the two states that boast of bowling greens in the country.

Kaushik was part of the quartet that won women’s fours gold at the Asian championships in 2009. Here,she is participating in the triples event. But this diploma holder — in coaching from NIS Patiala — is keen to go further.

Taking on the best
“The best in the business are here for this event. Malaysia are the Asian champions and they have the men’s world champion in their team. Australia are the world champions,England have always been among the top lawn bowl playing nations. So even if we finish among the top four,it will be a great achievement for us. But our ultimate target is to win a medal at the Commonwealth Games,” she says,even as the attention is diverted to the second round of the men’s singles event.

India are on the verge of upsetting Northern Ireland,and Kaushik doesn’t want to miss it. “I need to go,” she signs off,but not before adding,“We can be world beaters in this sport. Pray for us.”

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