The squad for Indian women's team for Bangladesh tour was announced. And the inclusion of few old names was something that fans were happy about. The comeback of Radha Yadav and Dayalan Hemlatha was certainly a great sight for fans. But most importantly, it was the maiden call up for Sajana Sajeevan and Asha Shobhana, which has been the highlight of this selection. Both these stars had shown tremendous promise in the second season of WPL which recently concluded and had impressed everyone.

Sajana Sajeevan who came to the crease against Delhi Daredevils on her debut, had a task of scoring 5 runs off the last ball. And she confidently did it by sending the ball into the stands thereby taking her team to the finishing line. She impressed everyone with her power hitting abilities. Asha, on the other hand, left everyone in awe as she bowled beautifully and had 12 wickets to her name in the tournament. Her crucial breakthroughs helped RCB massively and she had a lioness' share in her team's triumph. These two have been exceptional performers, but even more exceptional is their story which has led them to this level.

Few of the fans know the story of Sajana, as Jemimah Rodrigues posted a story after her debut heroics. A passionate cricket lover from Kerala, she always wanted to pursue cricket. In spite of too many difficulties in life, her parents always supported her. And she repayed them back. She toiled hard on the cricket field, and also in paddy fields to support her parents. While her cricketing journey started, few years back, the Kerala floods almost snatched away everything from her and her family. In spite of all these difficulties she faced, she never gave up and she turned all these into her strength which showed up in this WPL. And after hustling so hard, she finally received a maiden India call-up at the age of 29 years.

And a little different, yet equally difficult is the journey of another player from Kerala, Asha Shobhana. Initially a pace bowler, she was told by her coach to take up leg spin. And it yielded results as she was selected for the senior Kerala team at a mere age of 16. For 17 long years, she kept performing and hustling hard, yet was far away from success. She had planned to quit the game post this year, but thankfully WPL happened. She was selected by RCB, and she played a huge role in the team's success. Her prompt leg spin and her stellar performance in WPL 2nd season resulted in her receiving the maiden India call-up at the age of 34.

29 or 34 might not seem to be that older for many, but if one looks from a sportspersons' perspective, these are the ages when most people start to see a decline in their career. An average sportsman makes his debut at around the starting of his/her twenties. And in case of women's cricket, the standard age for debut is around 18-19. But in Sajana's and Asha's case, they have defied odds of age by receiving their maiden call-up around a decade to decade and a half later than when most people debut. It is astonishing that someone waited this long for the well deserved opportunity, in spite of performing so well in domestic circuit.

And hence, these two getting a chance to represent the nation gives me immense joy. It is observed than on occasions when a player makes his debut too late, the hunger for that player has significantly increased. Mike Hussey, Surya Kumar Yadav are the most prominent examples of it happening. And now one can hope to see these two perform with the increased hunger for the opportunity they've always deserved. Their story is obviously about never giving up, but more importantly it is about continuing to follow one's passion without complaining and expecting. And if you do it, you're bound to be successful some day. Their story will now inspire many other players to strive hard for the game they love. We congratulate both of them and wish them good luck for their India stint.