Indian women's cricketer Mansi Joshi gifts her coach a car

In what a really winsome gesture, Indian Women’s team cricketer Mansi Joshi gifted her coach Vrinder Rautela a car in hometown, Dehradun. Hailing from Haryana, she played two games in the recently concluded ICC World Cup in England. Being the third pacer in the team, Mansi sure made her mark in the matches she played against Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

Having made her T20 debut in the Asia Cup in Bangkok in 2016, she had promised her coach a surprise if she was named in the World Cup squad. Mansi did keep up to it presenting a new Maruti Swift Desire to her coach Rautela in order to honour his contribution to her career.

Appreciation for the coach

She applauded her coach and said, “I cannot forget what he has done for me since I started training under him. He has never charged a single rupee from me. I knew he liked this particular car model.”

“So, a month back I took him to the showroom saying that I would be buying a car and he could help me out with the right colour. I booked the car that very day and we got the delivery on Friday. It gives a feeling of fulfilment and accomplishment by bringing a smile on my guru’s face. We went for a drive too. He was very happy,” the Indian cricketer added.

The Uttarakhand Government felicitated her with a cash prize of Rs 5 Lakh on the National Sports Day in Dehradun along with left-arm spinner Ekta Bisht. Both the cricketers were accompanied by their respective coaches, Liyakat Khan and Vrinder Rautela, to the event.

Word from the coach

“It feels great to see your trainee do well in a mega-event like the World Cup. The ladies made the whole country proud through their superlative show. Although Mansi played just two games, she brought Dehradun international recognition. I remember, I had bought a new scooty for her ahead of the World Cup, so that she could come to the academy with ease,” the coach said.

“She did not have a vehicle then. I only took the new car from her on one condition: if she would take my Maruti Alto in return. Aajkal aise shisya kahan milte hain (Where can you find such trainees these days?). Due to her, girls are taking up the sport with passion,” said Rautela, who trains the 23-year-old Mansi at St Joseph’s Cricket Academy.