Girl who Googled her way to US national cricket team

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It wasn't merely a chance encounter but the Google search engine seems to have changed Anahita Arora's life. The Delhi girl, who shifted to New York in 2003 and studied to become an Investment banker there, didn't let the cricketer inside her die and when all doors seemed to have shut, a simple Google trick gave wings to her dreams.

All she did was put in the words `USA Women's Cricket Association' in the search engine and the banner on the website gave her the clue. It said that the national team needed women cricketers and on appearing for trials, Anahita made the cut and finally got selected to the US women's cricket team.

Since then, Anahita has been on a cricket roller coaster. She was in Dhaka recently for the ICC Women's World Cup qualifiers and even though the US team failed in their bid to qualify for the Cup to be played in India in 2013, Anahita has lived her dream of playing for a national cricket side.

In Chandigarh for a day to visit relatives on her way back, this is what the 26-year-old had to say: "Although, we finished at the bottom in the tournament, it is amazing that the US Cricket Association managed to field a good outfit in the tournament where teams like the West Indies, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe took part.

We were exposed to top-class cricket for few days in Dhaka. I hope we can have more tournaments and tours in future so that we are conditioned more to the sport."

Anahita, an all-rounder, was one of six Indian-origin women in the US squad of 18, with Robin Singh as their coach.

Arora's tryst with the sport began when she lived in Delhi during her school days. She used to play gully cricket with the street boys using a tennis ball.

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