Assam’s Uma Chetry who toiled in the fields with sickle set to wield the willow for India

Sixty-two-year-old Lok Bhadhur Chetry has spent most June-August months worrying and mourning the loss of crops to the heavy monsoon rains typical of parts of Assam. What punctuated this year’s worrying-augmenting monsoon was the joy of his daughter Uma Chetry making it to the Indian Women’s Cricket team.

Uma, a native of Kandulimari village in Golaghat district, about 240 km from Guwahati, has created history by emerging as the first woman cricketer from the North Eastern states to make it to the senior women’s team.

Uma is part of the ongoing India-Bangladesh T20 series. While she was not part of the playing XI in the first match on Sunday, her village is anxious if she will play in the match today.

Battling floods and several odds, Uma Chetry has scripted a story of grit and gumption through her achievement, becoming a household name in Assam and an inspiration for others, emerging as the first woman from Northeast to make it to the national team.
Uma’s father admits that the family never believed Uma could make the cut, despite that she never lost sight of her target.

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“We never thought that Uma will make it to Indian team but she was positive and hardworking which helped her to get selected in the Indian team. I am happy for my daughter because Uma has become the first cricketer from northeast to be selected to the women’s national team,” Lok Bhadhur Chetry told The Federal.

What made dreaming impossible for Uma’s family is the daily fight to survive in Kandulimari, especially during the months of rain.

“During monsoon, every year our village gets inundated and our crops are damaged. At the time of flood, the kutcha road leading to our house gets completely submerged in water. During that time, we have to move with the help of a boat,” he said.

“Despite the struggles, Uma has made it to the Indian senior cricket team. I am happy for her and wish her good luck for the ongoing series in Bangladesh,” the father said.
Twenty-year-old Uma will be missed by her father when she is away at the camp or playing against other teams in India or abroad. Uma not only made the home atmosphere pleasant with her positivity, she also helped her father in the paddy fields. Many in the village remember Uma carrying a sickle to the fields with her father and help him with farm work.

The hands that toiled in the fields with sickle will now wield the willow on the cricket field.

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Her coach Mehboob Alam is sure she will have a bright future ahead because of her sheer dedication to the fame.

“I am happy that Uma was selected in the senior Indian Women’s Cricket team. I am happy and proud that I coached her. She is very disciplined and hardworking. Uma came to my academy on 2016-17 for coaching. Before that, she had taken coaching from Saidur Rahman alias Raja. She iss hardworking and talented. She joined the coaching academy to become a wicket-keeper batter. I’ve seen raw talent in her,” Mehboob Alam said.

“My academy is seven-eight kms from Uma’s house, but she walked the narrow bumby road to reach the academy every day,” Alam told The Federal.

Uma’s training, however, wasn’t usual and that could be the reason for her success.

“What usually happens is that girls practise with girls and boys with boys. But we made Uma practise with the boys and she proved her potential through her performance. Her keeping style is good because she has great moves behind the stumps. She also played ‘A’ division league with boys and proved her talent there,” the coach said.

“Uma developed the skills of wicket-keeping and batting after she played with the boys. She developed her cricketing ability through her hard work and self-discipline,” he said.
As Uma put in the hard work, some came forward to help impressed by her dedication.

“Binay Kalawar, an ardent cricket lover, first gifted her a bicycle after he saw Uma’s potential and the struggle of walking seven-eight kilometres every day to reached the academy. Ajay Sharma who was then assistant secretary of Assam Cricket Association (ACC) helped Uma by gifting her a kit,” Alam said.

The cricket bug bit Uma pretty early.

Uma’s mother Dipa Chetry the family first realised Uma loved the game when she was spotted playing with a potato.

“I couldn’t express my happiness. Uma is the youngest of her four siblings and for her younger age, she is inclined towards cricket. We first noticed her passion for cricket, when she was two- and-half-years-old. One day, when I returned from the market, I saw Uma was playing with a potato. She was hitting the potato with a stick like one hits the ball with a bat. I then bought a plastic cricket bat and ball for her. She was happy and started paying with it immediately. We are financially weak and could not afford to buy a real bat for her,” Dipa said.

“When Uma was 11 years old, she started her cricketing journey when her schoolmate Montu Kumar Yadav. Montu recognised her knack for wicket-keeping. He took her to Saidur Rahman, alias Raja, for coaching and there she honed up her skills with her hard work,” Dipa said.

Aparna Karmakar, who has played state-level cricket with Uma and is a close friend, said Uma’s selection is well-deserved and hard-fought for.

“Uma’s dream has come true. She always told me that one day I will make it to the Indian team. She is very determined and focused with her cricket. Apart from her wicket-keeping skills, she is also a good batter. I am happy for her selection and wish her good luck for her future,” Aparna said.

“Mostly, we played together at the state levels and in other formats. Her idol is Harmanpreet Kaur and Uma likes her batting very much. Apart from Harmanpreet, she idolises Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Rohit Sharma. We have both coached under Saidur Rahman. We met at his academy only,” Aparna said.

Uma was one of the first to enter the women’s team in Bokakhat and was wuick to pick up the techniques.

“In 2011, Uma came to me for coaching, when the women’s cricket had just started in Bokakhat. She came to me as a wicket-keeper batter. Like other girls, I taught her the nuances of the cricketing manuals and right from the begging, Uma displayed a knack to learn. She is a good learner and a hard worker. She played ‘B’ division cricket with us and scored 89 runs recently. I am proud of her because she is my student,” said Saidur Rahman.

While Uma has made it to the national team, the fact that she was left out of the IPL auctions is still hard to believe for many.

“There are a lot of opportunities for girls in cricket and facilities have improved a lot for women in the state. The coaching facilities have improved a lot and if they can prove their potential then it is easy to get selected. Wverybody was shocked when Jintimani Kalita was auctioned for Mumbai Indians in Women’s IPL but Uma was not picked up,” said senior sports journalist Imtiaz Ahmed.

“Uma is the best batter of Assam. She has played good seasons for Assam so far. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has picked her up for the senior team because she has proved herself by playing good cricket,” Ahmed told The Federal.

In the ACC Women’s Emerging Team Asia Cup 2023 played in Hong Kong last month, Uma proved herself as an excellent wicket-keeper batter. Uma’s impressive performances with the bat and behind the wicket in the team’s 31-run final win over Bangladesh in the tournament earned her the attention of the selectors.