In a shocking revelation, 15-year-old sensation Shafali Verma's father Sanjeev Verma revealed that the Rohtak girl entered cricket academy disguised as a boy because there were no training academies for girls.
"I introduced her to cricket when she was eight or nine. I used to take her to play neighborhood teams on Sundays," Shafali's father Sanjeev Verma said.
"Most teams refused to play against her. They said that she could get hurt and that I would complain if that happened.
"Even when I insisted, she was my daughter and I was okay, most didn't agree," said Verma, who makes jewelery in Rohtak near New Delhi.
Shafali's proud father said that he eventually found a cricket academy which took boys and girls. It was eight kilometres (five miles) from our house and she used to cycle there for training each day.
"At eight or nine, all kids look the same. After the haircut, most didn't even notice she was a girl and she started playing regularly at weekends," he said.
"Most in town refused to take a girl. I eventually found one which took boys and girls. It was eight kilometres (five miles) from our house and she used to cycle there for training each day," Shafali's proud father added.
The daughter-father duo are big fan of India cricketing icon Sachin Tendulkar and watched several videos of his innings to grasp the nuances of his batting style.
"I have always been a Sachin fan and I made sure that I introduced her to his batting very early. We watched so many Sachin innings together," he said.