NEW DELHI: When Biju George met Arundhati Reddy in Hyderabad during the 2023 Indian Premier League, the India international, a vital cog of the Delhi Capitals side that reached the 2023 Women’s Premier League final, had resigned from her Railways job to focus more on her cricket.

Having been with Railways from 2017-18 till the 2022-23 season, Reddy decided it was time to move on. In this period, she had featured in 24 List-A and 21 T20s for Railways and five T20s for Central Zone. That is when George, the former India women’s and current DC fielding coach, had a conversation with her.

It did not take long him to put her in touch with Kerala Cricket Association. Soon enough, Reddy was set to represent the state in the 2023-24 season. “Going to Kerala was a brave call,” recalls George. “She wanted to focus more on cricket and she believed that she wasn’t getting more chances as an all-rounder. In the meantime, KCA was also welcoming. Vinod S Kumar, the secretary, was very welcoming as they took her onboard,” he adds.

At that point, Reddy’s aim was to make her mark in the domestic circuit as an all-rounder, plotting her comeback to the national team. In the past couple of years, she had taken to spirituality, become a lot more calmer in approaching life and cricket. Now, her focus was on upskilling and showcase what she was capable of. Although she did not get to bowl regularly in the senior T20s, Kerala reached the semifinals. As a senior member, Reddy had a big part in it.