Before heading to South Africa for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2023, Indian women cricketer Pooja Vastrakar gifted her father a car worth Rs 15 lakhs. Instead of being happy, her father was disappointed and called it a ‘waste of money’. Vastrakar was one of the star attractions at the maiden Women’s Premier League (WPL) – where she was bought for Rs 1.90 crore by Mumbai Indians (MI).
Vastrakar, who fought several odds before being selected for the Indian team, has been an integral part of the Indian team lately – which was evident from the intense bidding war for her at the WPL auction.
Vastrakar’s father Bandhan Ram wants her daughter to put the money earned from WPL auction into a Fixed Deposit (FD).
“Bahut paise waste karti hai. Mai chahta hun ki ye saare paise ka FD kar le (She wastes a lot of money. I want her to open a fixed deposit account with all the money),” Ram told The Indian Express.
Ram, who is a retired BSNL employee, recalled how his daughter always had the belief of representing India one day and she would tell this to her father whenever he asked her why was she wasting her time playing cricket while growing up.
“Since the age of four, she has been into cricket. I never thought that she would go on to play for India one day. But she always knew it. Whenever she asked for money for cricket, I would tease her by asking why she was wasting her time in cricket. She used to say, ‘aap dekhna, India khelungi (You see, one day, I will play for India),” he added.Vastrakar has so far represented India in 2 Tests, 26 ODIs and 44 T20Is. She is currently a part of India’s T20 World Cup squad in South Africa for the Women’s T20 World Cup 2023. During the team’s opening match against Pakistan, Vastrakar conceded 30 runs in 4 overs and picked one wicket.