Contents
Sonia Mendhiya is an Indian cricketer who is known for being part of the ICC Under-19 Indian Women’s team that won the T20 World Cup in South Africa in 2023. She is a right-hand batsman and right-arm off-break bowler.
Wiki/Biography
Sonia Rajpal Mendhiya was born on Saturday, 20 March 2004 (age 18 years; as of 2022) in Brahmanwas, Rohtak. In an interview, her mother said that she used to take Sonia along with her to work where she used to play with the children with a plastic ball. When she came home, she used to play with the children in the neighbourhood with a wooden thapi. While growing up, she started taking cricket seriously. In the beginning, her mother stopped her from playing, but Sonia was so stubborn that her mother had to agree to it. Her neighbours also encouraged her to take up cricket after noticing her talent. She started playing cricket when she was thirteen years old. She took training at Shri Ram Academy in Jhajjar Road, Rohtak. She used to travel alone for 20-25 kilometres in a rickshaw from her village to the academy. In an interview, her mother talked about this and said,
Only two or three girls, including Shafali Verma, used to practice in the academy. After that we never stopped her from playing cricket. My daughter’s dream was to play cricket and her dream came true. We have high hopes from him that he plays further for India.”
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 5″
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Black
Family
Parents & Siblings
Sonia’s father’s name is Rajpal Mendhiya. He died when Sonia was four years old. Her mother’s name is Saroj, who works in an Anganwadi. She has two elder sisters and a younger brother.
Caste
She belongs to the Dalit caste.
Cricket
Sonia played her first T20 on 6 December 2022 against New Zealand women’s team held in Mumbai. In 2022, she played the U-19 One Day Trophy and scored 260 runs while taking 8 wickets. She played in the U-19 T20 Trophy where she scored a total of 187 runs and took 8 wickets. During the U-19 Challenger trophy, she scored 92 runs with 5 wickets and in the Quadrangular series, she scored 67 runs and took 4 wickets. In 2022, she scored 65 runs and took 2 wickets in the New Zealand Development tour. In December 2022, she was selected for the U-19 women’s squad and played in the T20 World Cup in South Africa in 2023.
Indian Women U-19 team after winning the U-19 T20 World Cup 2023
Facts/Trivia
- After her father’s death, her mother took care of her and her siblings. Her mother was illiterate, but she started working as a helper in an Anganwadi. She used to get a salary of Rs. 2500. Her mother struggled a lot to feed the family and they live in one small room.
- According to various media reports, Sonia is a soft-spoken, calm and quiet girl.
- She has a tattoo of the word ‘mom’ inked on her right hand.
Sonia Mendhiya’s tattoo