From gully cricket to Lord’s: Punam Raut’s journey

He watched the match last night with his wife, and the entire colony, under a ‘shamiana’ that sheltered a projector-and-wide-screen ensemble to watch the final, with a DJ to provide cues for celebration. There was reason for the festivities, not only because the national women’s team had reached the World Cup final once again, but because one of ‘their own’ was the opening batsman in the squad. Indeed, Punam did lead the charge, playing an innings layered with a mixture of venomous flair and unbreakable patience. That is until her enterprising knock came to a premature end at 86. The rest would fold soon after. Once Raut was out, India lost six wickets for 28 runs and lost the final by nine runs.

Punam Raut’s parents, Ganesh and Geeta, at their house in Gorai, Borivali West, on Monday. (Express Photo by Kevin D’Souza)

He claims to have no energy today. “If we won, I’d have been bouncing around right now,” he quips. But he is bound by the duty of being ‘Punam Raut’s father.’ He’s been hounded by phone calls all day. A local corporator has decided to welcome Punam’s return with a grand welcome – her journey from the airport to home will to be complete with an escort vehicle decorated in banners proclaiming her arrival.

To the neighbours, the 27-year-old was already a star. But her recent sojourn to England has pushed her stature up to another level. The Rauts live on the first floor of a building in Borivali West, Gorai, whose façade has large patches of green – moss. Yet the tiny hall-kitchen flat is neat, well lit, and bustling with activity. Ganesh is at home today, having taken the day off – he has worked as a private chauffer for the last 31 years.

He gets another phone call to check when Punam will return. When asked from the other end if he was sure, he replies, “I’m her father, and I’m her driver.” It’s a family ritual when her parents get into Punam’s car and drive to pick her at the airport. Once they return home, an ordeal they’re all too familiar with now commences: there’s no space in the flat for Punam’s kit bag.

The giant piece of luggage that holds her cricket gear is instead stored in the car. “Everytime we have to go out, my nephew goes and gets the bags upstairs. When we get back home, he puts the bags back in the car,” chuckles her mother, Geeta. Punam has called the little abode ‘home’ for over a decade now. It’s in that very locality that she grew up, played cricket with the boys, outwitted the boys, and soon became one of the boys. “Proper tomboy,” her father says, laughing.

Geeta recalls complaining about it since Punam was just a 10 year old. “I used to get nice frocks and skirts for her, but she’d prefer jeans, shorts and t-shirts,” she says, a tinge of annoyance still audible. “And she never grew her hair either.” Decorating the walls are photographs of their eldest child – Punam’s younger brother works as an assistant manager at a hotel in Canada. In Ganesh, Punam would find support. “She was always playing gully cricket with the boys because none of the girls wanted to,” he says.

Indian women’s team openers Punam Raut and Smriti Mandhana. (Source: Facebook)

It was one such innings against boys at a summer camp, when she was just 10, that there early glimpses of her talent. Playing with a hard leather ball for the first time ever, she notched sturdy unbeaten innings of 67. A few weeks later, Ganesh was introducing his daughter to seasoned grassroots coach Sanjay Gaitonde. “He cut me mid-sentence and said, ‘I know Punam. She scored 67,'” he recalls.

Struggling to make ends meet All of a sudden, there was an avenue for success for the pre-teen. But it meant that her parents would have to delve deeper into financial turmoil. Just to get Punam started off at the academy, Ganesh took a loan of Rs 10,000 from his employer. It didn’t help that his younger brother fell victim to cancer. But the family endured, for Punam’s sake. Geeta too chipped in by stitching clothes on order and taking up gift-wrapping projects.

“There were times when things got out of control. But Geeta and I just kept thinking, ‘just a bit more, just a bit more,'” Ganesh says, a slight smile on his face. Soon enough, Punam got selected to the Mumbai Cricket Association youth teams and was paid a regular stipend. As she climbed up the ladder, so did the family. Now Ganesh doesn’t have to borrow money. Instead, he gives loans to Punam herself. “She gives me all her salary and I save it up for her,” he says. “I’m her father, her driver, and her chartered accountant!”

As a person, she’s remained true to her roots. Except for a new habit, she’s picked up once she joined the Indian team. Geeta remembers coming home one day to find Punam standing in front of the mirror, trying on makeup. “Ladkiyon ke saath rehkar ladki ban rahi hai,” she giggles. “Sometimes I see her Whatsapp display photograph and message, ‘looking good'” her father laughs.

But that wasn’t the only thing that surprised her parents. On Sunday, soon after India lost their first wicket, Punam dispatched a shot over mid-on for six. It was her fourth ever loft over the ropes in her entire career. “She’s just 5-foot-2 and doesn’t have much power. Instead, she likes to hit along the ground,” says her father. “That shot was a big surprise for us.”

He pauses for a moment, toying with his mobile phone that had started vibrating again. Inadvertently, he places his hand on an orange suitcase sitting next to the multipurpose bed-couch-table. It has the name ‘Punam Raut’ printed on it. On the wall behind him are numerous medals and trophies – testaments to a career that blossomed in a tiny corner of Mumbai.

‘Borivali to Lord’s’ said a commentator during post-match comments. “Then again,” says Ganesh. “Maybe it wasn’t that big a surprise.”