So impressed was Raut’s childhood coach Sanjay Gaitonde by her talent that he sent her to the trials without telling her that it was boys-only camp.
Did you know India women’s team opener Punam Raut, who scored a brilliant 86 against England in the final, was once picked in a boys team?
Long before she became an international star, Raut had participated in the Mumbai Cricket Association’s (MCA) U-14 Summer Camp Trials for boys in Borivli at the age of 12.
What’s more, she even got selected. Raut beat many boys of her age to get picked till her identity was revealed.
So impressed was Raut’s childhood coach Sanjay Gaitonde by her talent that he sent her to the trials without telling her that it was boys-only camp.
“I wanted to test her skills and hence, I asked her to go,” said Gaitonde. “She went there and stood in line with the other batsmen who were ready to bat. When her turn came, she impressed the selector Anil Muzumdar (father of domestic legend Amol Muzumdar) with her batting.
“Muzumdar called her and asked her name in order to write it down in the selection list. When she said Punam Raut, Anil was shocked. He asked her what she was doing there as this trial was just for boys,” Gaitonde added.
Immediately, Raut began crying.
“Anil then asked me about it, and I told him I just wanted to test her skills. She proved herself,” Gaitonde looked back with a sense of pride.
Coming from a poor family, Raut was passionate about cricket and took up the game at the age of 10. It was an easy passage into the sport for the girl as her coach Gaitonde readily agreed to teach her the nuances of the game at the Shiv Seva ground in Borivli after looking at her potential.
“She had come with her father, who was a driver, while her mother was a housewife. Punam had the liking for the game and it was visible after I saw her.
“She had a natural physique of an athlete and had a good ball sense. Hence, I agreed to teach her and she became my first girl student,” said the Mumbai-based coach.
Training with Rohit
Gaitonde revealed that Raut was on par with the boys and would practice with India men’s star Rohit Sharma at his academy.
“Since she was the only girl in the academy, I would play her with boys like Rohit. Rohit was 12 while she was 10. They lived in the same area in Borivali,” he said.
“She was always very talented with the bat and bowled good off-spin. Not just that, I would let her bat against the boys of her age who had played for Mumbai and she easily played against that kind of pace,” Gaitonde added.
While Raut was the fifth highest run-scorer in the World Cup with 381 runs in nine outings, runs had dried up for her just a year ago.
“She came to me in March last year and we practiced for six months till September. I worked on some technical aspects, like her grip and backlift.”
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 "Punam Raut —Reuters")
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