Story of Joyeeta to settle in cricket from hockey

Dhaka, 27 April - Her nickname is Joyeeta, which means a victorious woman. Juairiya Ferdous Joyeeta, a member of the Bangladesh Women's Cricket team.

She seems to have made her name meaningful through her work as choosing sports as a profession is still a risky decision for a person in the current socio-economic context of Bangladesh.

If the person is a woman, the level of challenge is even more. But the story of rising female cricketer Joyeeta, who overcame all obstacles and made her dreams true, has written by herself. She is just like a rising female cricketer, who is becoming an inspiration to the youth through determination, courage and hard work.

Joyeeta's nature was a little different since her childhood. She loved to take on challenges, was eager to do something new. Her name seems to have a strange resemblance to her personality- Joyeeta, meaning one who knows how to win. An unwavering determination to win in every aspect of life has brought her to where she is today.

The story of Joyeeta becoming a cricketer came up in a conversation at Dhaka's Mirpur Stadium. Born and raised in Jhenaidah, Joyeeta's life did not start with cricket. Rather, the first chapter of her sporting career was hockey. She had great skills not only in hockey, but also in the throwing events of kabaddi and athletics.

She even achieved the rare feat of winning gold medals in three different sports in a single day. She left her signature of versatile talent by winning gold in shot put, hockey and kabaddi in the 2023 Youth Games.

But despite all this, her attraction to cricket was different. That fascination slowly brought her to the path of cricket.

The biggest strength in Joyeeta's life is her family, especially her mother- a sports teacher. She understood her daughter's dream from the beginning. When anyone asked her about the future of a girl playing sports- her mother's firm stance made Joyeeta's path easier.

A big turning point came in Joyeeta's life when she came to Dhaka in 2020 to participate in a hockey event. At that time, her mother came to know that there would be trials for a women's cricket camp at the Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protishthan (BKSP).

Keeping her daughter's interest in mind, her mother encouraged her to give the trial. Joyeeta also captured the opportunity.

Joyeeta continued to hone her skills under the close supervision of the coaches at the BKSP camp. Seeing her style of playing, interest, and hard work, the coaches also inspired her. That inspiration made her more focused.

After the first camp she joined the second camp. Then in the first division- she proved herself at every stage.

Being the second highest run-scorer and leading wicket-keeper in the first division, cricket brought her new opportunities. From there, she was called for U-19 team's preliminary camp, and in a very short time she was called for the national team.

Those who once criticized her are now proud of her success. They congratulate her on social media, call her and wish her well. This change not only makes Joyeeta happy, but also makes her more responsible.

For the cricket, she had to give up her old love to hockey. Leaving everything behind, playing for the national team, participating in the international matches- to start anew was not easy.

Her coaches also wanted her not to give up hockey. They still told her to come back if she got the chance. But Joyeeta followed her heart and choose cricket.

Another important change in her cricket career came in his batting position. Initially, she used to bat at number three or four. But on the advice of his coach, she started opening. Her strong batting and ability to utilize the power play have made her an effective opener.

Her debut in international cricket began with a T20 in Nepal. But Joyeeta was not happy with her performance in the match. She thinks she could have done better. The regret of not being able to play a big innings still haunts her. But this unhappiness motivated her to move forward.

Joyeeta has made significant changes in her game to prepare herself for the ODI format. She has moved away from the fast-paced cricket of T20 cricket and is focusing more on patience, defensive play and ground shots to bat for longer periods in ODIs.

The ODI series against Sri Lanka is a big opportunity in his career. Personally, this is her first ODI series. Her goal is clear - to contribute to the team's victory and play big innings when she gets the chance.

Along with cricket, she is also continuing her studies. She is a third-year student of the Department of Mass Communication and Journalism at Dhaka University. She dreams to build career in sports journalism in the future.

According to Joyeeta, sports journalism is a field where the experience gained as a player can be utilized.BSS