Glad that my hard work has paid off, says Poonam Yadav on Arjuna award

The 27-year-old cricketer was the world’s leading wicket-taker in T20Is last year with 40 scalps and that led to her being recommended in this August for the prestigious Arjuna award. On asked how she feels to be recommended for the Arjuna Award, the cricketer said, "It’s a great feeling, to be honest. I really worked hard to prove myself on the field, and I am glad that it has paid off."

"I am grateful to all the coaches who have helped me come so far. It’s been a tough ride, but with god’s grace, I could battle all the odds," said Yadav as quoted by the Sportstar.

Even until a few years back women cricketers were not recognised as much they are now, in fact, Poonam Yadav has become a household name. She feels it was the 2017 World Cup, in which the Indian Women's Cricket team were the finalists, that brought about the change. 

"Reaching the final of the 2017 World Cup gave Indian women’s cricket a new direction. We played cricket even before that, but nobody knew us. After the World Cup, we became household names and now everyone is aware about our existence (laughs). After the World Cup, everyone got their due recognition. It indeed changed the perception of women’s cricket," she said. 

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