Australian cricketer Lisa Sthalekar represented her country for 12 years and sealed Australia's World Cup victory last year with a spectacular catch in India.
But she very nearly didn’t live in Australia at all.
"I was actually adopted in India," she says. "My parents were over there trying to find a son, actually, and they didn't find any boys that they kind of connected [with].
"[But] they managed to find me and had an instant connection and I was fortunate enough to get adopted."
Adjusting to a new culture and country was a fun for a kid who loved sport and the outdoors.
"Sport was a massive part of my life and it was also a way for me to kind of blend in with the Australian culture,” she says. “So I played cricket, tennis and I went to the beach."
Treating her as the son he never had, Lisa's adopted (Indian) father shared with his daughter his passion for cricket.
"Being Indian, I think cricket runs through your veins," she says.
"So he used to take me out in the backyard and play with me and then he took me to the SCG when I was probably about six or seven and I fell in love with the game there."
She joined the local boys' team at age nine and played with the Cherrybrook side until her mid teens.
A spot in the NSW team followed before she donned the baggy green in 2001.
"I’ve been blessed to be part of some really successful sides," she says.
“Winning the World Cup in 2005 - my first world cup - was extremely special.
“Then obviously my retirement, my last game was in India - the place I was born.
Lisa Sthalekar.
"To take the winning catch there and to win that World Cup and we had just won six months earlier the T20 world cup.
"So it was a great way to finish and end my career."
Share
