Happy Birthday, Anuradha – captain of Germany’s cricket team and cardiovascular scientist,
Happy Birthday Anuradha – From playing street cricket on the streets of Bengaluru to captaining the German national women’s cricket team. The story of cricketer and cardiologist Anuradha Doddaballapur is astonishing. The 37-year-old German captain, during one of his interviews, opened up about his journey, his constant battle with misogyny, and much more.
Anuradha Doddaballapur is a German-Indian cardiologist and cricketer
Anuradha Doddaballapur is a German-Indian cardiologist and cricketer. She also currently serves as the captain of the Germany women’s national cricket team. He is currently a postdoctoral research scientist at the Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research in Bad Nauheim.
With limited funds and facilities, there is only so much one can do
Anuradha had said in one of her interviews in 2021 that – Our team consists mostly of professionals and students who play cricket as a hobby in their free time. With limited funds and facilities, there is only so much one can do. But we will work on our skills and move forward with a better mindset next time.
Talking about her career, Anuradha said-
Anuradha’s fascination with cricket began while watching the men’s team on TV and playing street cricket on the streets. “I was always the ‘joker’ in the men’s team, where I never got a chance to bat, but would only bowl and field! I grew up with cousins who also enjoyed the game.
I started playing organized cricket when I was studying at Bishop Cotton Girls School. I used to train at the National College Basavanagudi. When I heard that they were looking for new players for the Under-16 tournament in 1998, I went for selection and joined the team. At that time, women’s cricket was under the Indian Women’s Cricket Association, not the BCCI. We would train for three hours from 6 in the morning and then train again in the evening. Were,” says the emotional cricketer, who has also played for Karnataka as part of the Under-19 and senior teams.
While at Newcastle he got a taste of classic English cricket at the Club and County Level
After completing her engineering, Anuradha went to the UK to pursue a master’s degree in Medical Genetics. While at Newcastle he got a taste of classic English cricket at club and county level. However, it was his move to Germany in 2011 that changed the scientist’s sporting career. “I moved to Frankfurt for my PhD. When I was looking for cricket clubs there, I found only men’s teams and had to play with the men in their team for some time!” She remembers.
In 2013, he debuted for the German national team
Seeing that Germany already had a national women’s team, Anuradha decided to go for selection and surprisingly, made it to the team thanks to her solid foundation. In 2013, she debuted for the German national team, which she has led since 2017. “We all came together and then started the Frankfurt women’s team because there was no club for girls in the city. I got busy recruiting new players for this. I am also a Level 3 cricket coach and now I train the new players joining us,” she adds.
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Third woman after Lasith Malinga and Rashid Khan to set a world record by taking four wickets in four balls
While there wasn’t much focus on German cricket until recently, Anuradha’s exploits on the field in 2020 against Austria changed everything for the country. She went viral on social media when she took four wickets in four consecutive balls against Austria and created a world record by becoming the first woman and the third woman after Lasith Malinga and Rashid Khan to achieve this feat in international cricket. After this, he started getting bombarded with media calls from Germany and India. “There were many records made by other players that day, so mine also became one of them. But later the German Cricket Board told me that I had made a world record. It’s always good to be first in anything,” she smiles.