Ukhrul, November 8: Assam welcomes home 22-year-old wicketkeeper-batter, Uma Chetry, first woman cricketer from Assam and the entire Northeast to represent India in the Women’s World Cup.
Chetry records a remarkable milestone in the history of the sporting community being the first cricketer from the Northeast to win a Cricket World Cup.
Speaking to media, the cricket star said, “It’s a great feeling to be back home as a World Cup winner. The feeling is yet to completely sink in. I thank everyone for their love and support. It has been a memorable journey so far. “
Cycling 10km every day from Kandhulimari village to Bokakhat ground and now representing India in the World Cup, Chetry’s journey has been remarkable! A living testament of grit and perseverance.
Chetry’s passion for cricket began when she was just three with a plastic bat and a ball which was bought from a Durga Puja Pandal. She would play with boys in her neighborhood and eventually went on to train at the Bokakhat local ground, where Alam and Raja Rahman used to coach kids.
“She would wear slippers and come walking to attend the Bokhakhat Hindi High School near the ground, they didn’t have the money to afford equipment. She would make do with whatever we could provide at the academy,” Alam, who also runs a bakery, remembers first watching a young Chetry train at his Bokhakhat Town Cricket Club academy.
Chetry’s family had always been supportive of her sport but her family’s circumstances were not ideal. She was the youngest of 5 siblings, her father farmed and her brothers took up masonry to make ends meet. Dipa Chetry, her mother held onto her unwavering belief in Uma’s talent.
“My only thought was that a girl can do anything a boy can. I wanted her to play.” Dipa looks back at her reaction when her daughter decided to pursue sports.
Their collective support and sacrifice were the pillars upon which her success was built.
Chetry gradually made her way into the State’s age-level teams. However, poor returns meant that she was dropped during the 2016-17 season.
“She told me she wanted to train full-time with me. I told her ‘you will have to follow my rules’ and she agreed. She would reach the ground 5:30 am after finishing her farming work and manage training along with her school,” Alam adds.
Representing Assam and refining her skills came with numerous challenges including once losing her shoes in a flood. Her efforts finally came through when she was selected to represent the India A squad for the 2023 ACC Women’s T20 Emerging Teams Asia, Cup, sealing her place as a rising star.
Each year brought her closer to the national stage. In 2025, Chetry made it to Team India’s ODI squad. Her success eased decades of financial struggle covering her father’s medical bills to better equipment. Every win of Chetry’s also won a better life.
50 years after playing its first international match, the Indian women’s cricket team brought home the World Cup title this year. Despite not being in the final XI who took the field, Chetry’s win is more than personal; it’s every parent’s belief that a daughter’s dream knows no limits.
