WPL: Fatima Jaffer, the fascinating story of a uncommon ambidextrous bowler

Cricket runs within the blood for Fatima Jaffer, however the younger Mumbai Indians participant has walked a unique route and defied the household custom.

The niece of former India and Mumbai batter Wasim Jaffer, Fatima is extra drawn in direction of bowling.

She is without doubt one of the uncommon ambidextrous bowlers within the Indian home circuit – a right-arm medium pacer who can fill within the function of a left-arm spinner when the state of affairs calls for so.

But her starting as an ambidextrous bowler occurred in lower than creditable circumstances.

“I got into the Mumbai side as a right-arm pacer. But in the first match that I played, three of our spinners got called for chucking,’ Fatima was quoted as per the MI website.

However, the unfortunate turn of events opened a door to Fatima.

“My then coach knew that I used to practice left-arm spin, not as a profession, just for fun. So, he came up to me and asked me if I could bowl it in the match.

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“The first ever match I bowled in as a left-arm spinner, I got three wickets. Then I got five in the next game,” she mentioned.

But she wants hours of coaching to maintain the novelty issue moving into her bowling.

“It takes a lot of practice. There’s no real control in your left hand,” mentioned Fatima, who was a web bowler with MI in WPL 2023 earlier than getting drafted into the aspect throughout final 12 months’s public sale.

Fatima, sister of upcoming Mumbai batter Armaan Jaffer, gave credit score to her father Kaleem Jaffer, a revered coach in Mumbai circles, for supporting her.

“I was around seven or eight when I first started to play cricket. It was my father’s decision. He asked me to play cricket because he wanted one of the girls from the family to play cricket,” she mentioned.

Fatima mentioned the fixed dialogue about cricket along with her father has helped her develop as a participant.

“He never stopped me from doing anything. He always encouraged me to play cricket. Even when I’m not doing well, he comes up to me and encourages me.

“There’s no major difference between Kaleem Jaffer- the father, and Kaleem Jaffer- the coach. We mostly discuss only cricket, even at home,” she added.