Parshavi Chopra is an Indian cricketer who plays as a bowling all-rounder for the India Women Under-19 team. On 29 January 2023, the India Women U-19 team won the ICC T20 World Cup, beating England by 36 balls and 7 wickets.
Wiki/Biography
Parshavi Gaurav Chopra was born on Wednesday, 10 May 2006 (age 17 years; as of 2023) in Sikandrabad, Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh. She grew up in a family of cricket enthusiasts with a grandfather, Parshuram Chopra, who was once a zonal-level cricketer and a father and uncle who have played club cricket. In an interview, while talking about his family’s love for cricket, Parshavi’s uncle Ram Chopra said,
Ours is a family which celebrates international cricket tournaments like festivals and most family discussions revolve around the sport.”
However, she started her athletic journey with skating before her father shifted her to cricket. She won silver in U-14 Uttar Pradesh Skating Championships. She first started playing cricket with boys in her neighbourhood when she was 10. Her parents realised her passion for the sport and enrolled her in a cricket academy.
A childhood picture of Parshavi (right) with younger brother Raghav Chopra
The same year, she gave trials for the state team, but she was not selected. At 12, she made it to the Uttar Pradesh U16 team for the Chhattisgarh Tour and later to the U19 team. She has trained at two academies, Youngstar Cricket Academy and Yuvraj Singh Center of Excellence. As of 2023, she is in Class 9, and she is pursuing her schooling at her uncle Ram Chopra,’s school in their hometown.
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 4″
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Black
Family
Her father, Gaurav Chopra, runs a real estate business. Her mother’s name is Sheetal Chopra. Her younger brother’s name is Raghav. He is also a cricketer and a part of UP’s under-16 team
Parshavi Chopra with her parents and brother
Career
In domestic cricket, Parshavi Chopra represents Uttar Pradesh. She played in the BCCI U-16 One Day Tournament in which she bagged 17 wickets in the 2018-19 season before playing in the U-19 One Day trophy. Bagging 21 wickets, she was the second-highest wicket-taker in her debut U-19 season (2018-19). In the Women’s Quadrangular U19 T20 Series (2022 ), she played for India A which won by 7 wickets. On 27 November 2022, she made her international debut with a five-match T20I series against New Zealand; India won all the matches. Thereafter, she was named in India’s squad for the ICC Women’s Under-19 Cricket World Cup. The squad consisted of Shafali Verma (captain), Shweta Sehrawat (vice-captain), Richa Ghosh (wicket-keeper), G Trisha, Soumya Tiwari, Sonia Mendhiya, Hrishita Basu (wicket-keeper), Sonam Yadav, Mannat Kashyap, Hurley Gala, Archana Devi, Titas Sadhu, Falak Naz, Shabnam MD. The tournament took place in January 2023 in South Africa with matches being played in the T20 format. During the world cup, she picked up three wickets against New Zealand, restricting the Kiwis’ runs to 107.
Parshavi in action during the ICC U-19 T20 World Cup in the match against New Zealand in South Africa
She claimed a magnificent four-wicket haul and bagged the Player of the Match award when India Secured a 7-wicket win over Sri Lanka. On 29 January 2023, the Indian women’s cricket team won the ICC Women’s U-19 Cricket World Cup title after beating England by seven wickets in the final at Senwes Park in Potchefstroom, South Africa. Parshavi is the second-highest wicket-taker in the world cup with 11 wickets.
Indian Women U-19 team after winning the U-19 T20 World Cup 2023
Favourites
- Film: M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story (2016), Shabaash Mithu (2022)
Facts/Trivia
- Her batting style is right-hand bat, and her bowling style is legbreak. In the beginning, she was a right-arm medium-pace bowler; however, she switched to leg spin since she idolised Shane Warne.
- In an interview, Parshavi revealed that was realising her father’s dream of playing for India. It was her father’s unconditional support which led her to play for India, and she attributes him as her coach. His father would prepare a seven-day schedule for her to follow.
- She has trained under the coaches JP Nautiyal and Vishal Bhatia.
Parshavi with coach JP Nautiyal
Parshavi is seated between her coaches, Vishal Bhatia (left) and Rahul Sharma (right)
- Her hobbies include listening to music, swimming, skating, and playing basketball, lawn tennis, table tennis, and badminton.
- At 13, Parshavi Chopra was hit above her lips while fielding during her maiden U-19 match for Uttar Pradesh against Assam. Although the UP coach asked her to sit out if she wanted, she took some time off the field and returned to pick three wickets in the match. She revealed the incident much later to her parents fearing that they might ask her to quit the sport.