All in the family: Sisters Aarti, Deepa in match for school where dad is a peon

Deepa (left) and Aarti Yadav of Swami Vivekanand pose after the Manoramabai Apte Memorial U-16 girls' tournament match against St Columba at Islam Gym yesterday. Pic/Binaisha M Surti

Leg-spinner Aarti Yadav's sensational five-wicket haul stood out as Swami Vivekanand International School (Borivli) beat St Columba Girls High School (Gamdevi) by three runs in a thrilling semi-final encounter of the Mumbai Schools Sports Association-organised Manoramabai Apte Memorial under-16 girls' tournament at Islam Gymkhana yesterday.

Aarti's nine-year-old sister Deepa, playing for the same team, made her debut yesterday. Both sisters, who want to emulate former India limited overs skipper MS Dhoni's tactics on the field, share the same passion and love for the sport. Their dream is to play for India one day.

However, the weak financial situation in the family had prevented Aarti and Deepa from pursuing their dreams. Their father Chandrakant works as a peon at his daughters' school, while their mother is a housewife.

But now, the sisters aim to make it big in the sport. "My father wanted me to become a cricketer, but money was an issue. Now, he just wants his daughters to excel in the sport. "Many times people look down upon us as we play a sport which is primarily for boys, but we believe that we have it in ourselves to make it big," said 14-year-old Aarti.

Elder sister Pooja Yadav already represents Mumbai in the under-19 category. "Ever since I saw my sisters play cricket, I knew this was the game I wanted to pursue. Our parents have always supported and encouraged us all the way," Deepa added.

Earlier, batting first, Swami Vivekanand International notched up 68-9 in their 20 overs. Medium pacer Sharwari Jathar bagged 4-28 in her nine-over spell. In reply, St Columba started off confidently, but lost their way in the middle. The Borivli outfit kept putting pressure on their opponents. St Columba, who were reeling at 60-5, lost their final five wickets for a mere five runs. Aarti claimed the wickets of Pranjal Abhyankar (20), Saloni Kushte (1), Asmi Mudras (3), Anushka Rawade (0) and Ishita Singh (0).