Batting brava

At the history-making US Women’s Cricket Open Championship from October 8-10, 2010, Delkash Hormoz Shahriarian, representing the New York Warriors, emerged as the only Indian and Zoroastrian to play at the US national level sporting event, notes a press release forwarded by Kashmira Cooper. Sixty of America’s top lady cricketers representing USA’s four best competing women’s cricket teams converged at the Central Broward Regional Park in Lauderhill, Florida, the home of the first official cricket stadium built in the USA. Two teams came from California and the other two from the northeast to vie for the championship trophy at the event that saw participation from international players from Canada, the West Indies, South Africa and Australia.

Regarded as an "important and vital contributor” to the New York team that secured the runner-up position, Shah-riarian was selected during the trials in May 2010. A specialty batsman, Shah-riarian’s forte has been in making quick runs with big hits for this T20 tournament. With her athletic skills Shahriarian also helped take significant catches and fielded numerous boundary hits, notes the write-up.

Delkash Shahriarian; (inset) with trophy awarded to the New York Warriors, the runner-up team

Although familiar with the game since her childhood when she would actively cheer the Rustom Baug men’s team during the All-Parsis tournaments, Shah-riarian’s tryst with cricket started as the captain of the Sir Ness Wadia Club, Rustom Baug women’s cricket team who led her team to victory for two successive years in 2004-05 at the All Parsis Women’s Tournament. "My biggest inspiration as a child was Diana Edulji (former wicket keeper of the Indian women’s cricket team)…My dream was to…carve a niche for myself and to be an inspiration to my community,” mentions the batsman in response to Parsiana’s e-mail queries.

"As a cricketer my aim at this time is to train very hard to get an opportunity to be selected for the US Women’s Cricket team trials. As I will be competing with well established international players, I need to be on top of my game,” realizes the youngster who is hoping to find a sponsor to finance her professional training under West Indies and Jamaican coaches. "Cricket season ends when winter begins and here in New York it becomes very difficult to play outdoors so I generally train indoors at a facility in New York or New Jersey,” she states.

With the recent opening of the Rustomjee Builders sponsored cricket nursery in Rustom Baug she hopes that the community will be able to field cricketers at the national and international level from India. Whilst she never had an opportunity to receive cricket training in Bombay, during her school days at Christ Church she would regularly go to Priyadarshini Park for athletic coaching which helped her earn many prizes in athletics at inter-school and all-Parsis events. "Those skills have definitely come in handy today,” reveals the sportswoman. Whilst doing her graduation in science at St Xavier’s College, Shah-riarian represented her college at basketball tournaments. Go-karting is another passion with this lady.

Currently working as an architect in New York, Shahriarian trains over the weekends on her own or with the team trying to "juggle my work, fitness and cricket training as best as I can. I have always believed in multitasking which in today’s day and age is a necessity.” The talented student had earned her bachelors degree in architecture from Bombay’s Rachna Sansad’s Academy of Architecture with first class honors. She was awarded the Best Student of the Year 2005 by Pidilite Industries and nominated by Practicing Engineers Architects and Town Planners Association from the Academy of Architecture. But rather than start work in Bombay she opted to do her postgraduation from the prestigious Pratt Institute because she "wanted to be in New York — the design capital of the world where I would have a lot many opportunities to explore and hone my design skills.” A licensed architect in India as also a LEED accredited professional from the United States Green Building Council, Shahriarian says she is keen to establish her own company some day although she has yet to decide on her area of specialization with her varied interests in design. "I like to explore the traditional culture of India along with a mix of the contemporary western culture as well as a sustainable design. As a self taught artist I wish to some day have my own art exhibition incorporating these ideologies…”

Acknowledging the support of her parents Banu and Hormoz and brother Arash, Shahriarian mentions, "I am what I am today because of my family. As a child my parents always reinforced the need to dream big but to always be humble… Besides education my parents ensured I grew up to be a well-molded individual by encouraging participation in extracurricular activities.” She was a member of the 68th Talatis Guide Group, learnt to play the piano, was part of the Holiday Programme for Youth (1998 group) and won prizes in different painting competitions including a full expense paid trip to Scotland when she won the Best Artist Award at a competition organized by the British Tourist Authority.

Whilst she has yet to decide where she will settle in the future, Shahriarian states, "I believe in today’s global environment technology affords us the opportunity to reach out to every corner of the world.”