Rajeshwari Gayakwad has been one of the top performers for India in the recently concluded World Cup picking up seven wickets in three matches including a five wicket haul in a do-or-die match against New Zealand. It was her spell that helped India to book a semifinal berth against the defending champions Australia.
Rajeshwari Gayakwad, who is a native of the Vijaypura district of Karnataka and currently based at Nehru Nagar, Gangbavadia still dreams of owning a house of her own, while she lives in a rented house. Her mother recalls that they don’t have a place to accommodate the fans that keep on coming after her success at the international level.
Rajeshwari Gayakwad lost her father three years back in cardiac failure while watching a match between India and West Indies. She has four sisters to look after as she is the sole earner of her family.
While talking to TOI about their condition Rajeshwari’s mother, Savitha said that she had forgotten the number of times they had to change their house since her birth. She recalls, “We have been continuously changing houses. My daughter is a successful international cricketer but we still don”t own a house.”
The Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) being one of the richest cricket boards in the world pays the male cricketers handsomely but it is different when it comes to women cricketers. This story again sparks the hugely debated topic of having different wage structure for men and women cricketers.
The 26 years old left arm spinner Rajeshwari Gayakwad made her India debut in 2014 and has represented India in 30 ODI’s taking 54 wickets, 13 T-20’s clinching 15 wickets and a single test match where she took 5 wickets. She has an outstanding economy of 3.39 in ODI’s.