“Pickleball has become a habit to me now; I wish to see more women playing the sport…….”

with Krutika Giri

DOB:                      5^th December 1998

State:                    Madhya Pradesh

City:                       Dewas

Club:                     Vaishnav College Sports Complex, Indore

Krutika Giri travels 35kms from Dewas to Indore to play Pickleball everyday. After a long and tiresome journey from her home to Vaishnav College Sports Complex at Indore, that one shot from her paddle sounding the ‘tock’ completely rejuvenates her. She gets ready for the day.

“Pickleball has become a daily dose of fitness and fun for me. Last year when my friend Ajay Singh Rawat introduced this game to me, I instantly liked it. I was already playing Badminton at that time; so I wanted to experiment this new sport.”

 What started as an experiment turned to be a part of life for Krutika Giri. Pickleball has given her an chance to play a sport at a competitive level. While playing state and national tournaments, she considered herself fortunate to brush shoulders with some of the best Pickleball players of the country.  

 “Pickleball has opened doors of opportunity for me. The circuit is really appealing. There are players from different states and most importantly they differ in ages. Some are very young and some are middle-aged. That helps in understanding the game better. I try my best to learn something new from each tournament I play. I have also made some very good friends.”

Krutika Giri is also happy with the way Pickleball has progressed in her home state. Madhya Pradesh Pickleball Association is working hard to spread this game to different districts other than the main cities.

“Balwant Salunke sir and our team often arrange demonstration programmes mainly in educational institutes. We have given more than 50 demos in different schools and colleges. Seeing the game many responded positively and registered their name. There are some women players who are office goers or are students but they take out time to play Pickleball. But I wish to see more women playing the sport. We have to gather more women for demos just for them. We have to organise tournaments exclusively for women. Above all we have to motivate women and make them understand the benefits of Pickleball. ”

MAJOR ACHIEVEMENTS

• Gold in Women’s Singles at 2^nd State Tournament, Indore in 2018
• Silver in Mixed Doubles at 2^nd State Tournament, Indore in 2018
• Silver in Women’s Doubles at 5^th National Pickleball Tournament, Bangalore in 2018
• Bronze at Madhya Pradesh Open Tournament, Indore in 2018
• Bronze in Women’s Doubles at 3^rd State Tournament, Indore in 2019
• Silver in Mixed Doubles at 3^rd State Tournament, Indore in 2019