[Exclusive} Divya Gnanananda explains reason behind KL Rahul-like celebration in Senior Women's One Day Trophy 2023

Divya Gnanananda spoke about her emotionally charged celebration after scoring a fighting half-century against Railways in the Senior Women's One Day Trophy 2023 finals.

The 28-year-old cricketer scored 69 runs off 116 balls in the final, while playing for Karnataka. She hit seven fours during her gritty knock. The next highest individual score from her team was 21. Karnataka were dismissed 163 in the 50th over. In reply, Railways reached the target in the 48th over after losing six wickets.

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While Karnataka didn't get over the line, Gnanananda received a lot of praise for her grit and determination under pressure. In an exclusive interview with CricTracker, the right-handed batter explained why she celebrated the way she did.

"That (shut the noise) celebration was special to me because it came after a tough time. We were playing against the same team at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in the final. I felt the pressure to perform well since it was our home ground, and my supporters were there," the Bengaluru-born said.

"I started off strong, hitting Meghna Singh for two boundaries, and I felt confident. But then I made a mistake and got out. From that day until recently, I faced a lot of criticism, especially from my close friends and family. They kept reminding me of that match and doubted my abilities against tough teams and quality bowlers. It bothered me a lot," she added.

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Gnanananda said that with her unique half-century celebration, she wanted to convey that she won't pay heed to negative comments anymore. It was her emphatic way of silencing her critics.

"When I finally got the chance to face them again and scored 46 runs, I felt a mix of emotions. I was so focused on proving myself that I didn't even realise I was close to reaching 50 runs. When I scored, I felt like dropping my bat to show that I won't listen to negative comments anymore. I wanted to prove that I can score against tough teams and even make a 50 against strong opponents. That's why I celebrated that way," Gnanananda said.