Rabbjyot Rajput’s teenaged face is that of Canadian Women’s Cricket’s Potentially Very Bright Future,” boasts the caption for this Wickets August 2022 Issue’s cover photo. An extremely bold boast that has now seemingly already been justified by Rajput’s s performances during the recently concluded Canadian National Women’s T20 Tournament.
Representing the Ontario Heat as the host Province’s second “developmental” team, “Rabby” as she’s now fondly known to everyone who has made her delightful acquaintance, belied her teenaged years to produce outstanding bowling performances in becoming the tournament’s third highest wicket-taker. Only the veteran Canadian National Women’s spinner Sonali Vig, now approaching her forty-seventh birthday and a full thirty-three years senior to the fourteen-year-old Rabby and Mammath Hundal had superior wicket tallies at the conclusion of the five-day tournament. Vig’s fourteen captured wickets and Hundal’s thirteen were both marginally superior to Rajput’s very impressive haul of eleven tournament scalps.
Born July 9, 2008 in New Delhi India, the recently turned fourteen-year-old Rabby first became interested and actively involved with cricket at the age of seven at which time she had started playing with her brother, Sovant. By the time the Rajput family eventually made the move of migrating to Canada in 2017, the then nine-year-old Rabby had already been actively involved with cricket for over two years. It proved to be most valuable exposure that served her well as she began her Canadian cricket journey very soon after her arrival.
As was previously profiled in Wickets last year, both Rabby and her brother Sovant joined the Ontario Cricket Academy in 2017, almost immediately after the family’s Canadian arrival. Under the watchful eyes of OCA Coaches, Gary Grewal and Derek Perera, Rabby set about pursuing the continuous improvements to her already prodigious talents that have now started to bountifully bear fruit. As evidenced by her National Women’s Championship performances.
Prior to her National Championship appearances Rabby had represented OCA in the TDCA and MCPL Boys Leagues from U12 to U16. She also represented OCA’s Senior team in the MCPL Women’s Division. Over the last few years Rabby has also been playing in the CCO Regional Tournaments.
If she can continue in the same vein, a Canadian National Women’s Senior team debut now cannot be far away for Rabbjyot Rajput. Perhaps even as soon as early next year, if and when the Canadian Women’s team participates in any of the ICC tournaments that have now been scheduled to be held in 2023. With a view to the future, she should certainly now be a shoo-in as a guaranteed squad member.
We certainly hope that those in charge of selecting Canada’s National Women’s teams will be of like mind in including Rabby in their immediate future plans. How else will she have the opportunity to justify our boldly made boast that hers is indeed the face of Canadian Women’s cricket’s potentially very bright future?
GO RABBY GO!