The 19-year-old opening batter from Southern California was the leading scorer for the USA Women in international cricket in 2021. 

Photo credit: Peter Della Penna

By Peter Della Penna (Twitter @PeterDellaPenna)
 
DreamCricket is once again celebrating USA’s top performers from the calendar year through the New Inning Foundation USA Cricket Awards. This edition of the awards recognizes performances in 2021. 
 
The New Inning Foundation USA Women’s Cricketer of the Year is California’s Gargi Bhogle. The 19-year-old opening batter from Orange County demonstrated consistency throughout domestic and international commitments to quickly establish herself as an anchor at the top of the USA batting order in her debut season. 
 
Playing for the Los Angeles region squad in the USA Women’s Regional pathway, Bhogle scored 52 runs in two innings, good for fifth in the country in limited action. After being selected to the West Conference squad for both the Senior Women’s and U-19s Women’s National Championships, Bhogle finished seventh and second respectively in each event with a combined total of 136 runs at an average of 34.00. 
 
Her steady form and brisk scoring rate at the top of the order in domestic competition was enough to gain the attention of the USA Women’s selection panel. Not only was she picked to make her squad debut at the ICC Americas Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifier in Mexico, Bhogle was inserted straight into the XI at the top of the order and justified that faith by finishing as the leading scorer on tour on difficult batting wickets with 95 runs at an average of 23.75 and tied for the team lead with eight boundaries. 
 
She was also ever present in the field, whether galvanizing her teammates with constant vocal encouragement or in the catching department where she led all non-wicketkeepers with five catches. Her best performance on tour came in a 10-wicket win over Canada in which she scored an unbeaten 39 off 37 balls as part of a USA Women’s T20I record 71-run unbroken partnership, the best for USA Women in T20Is for any wicket. 
 
She capped the year with 32 runs in three innings in the curtailed tour of Zimbabwe where USA was unable to complete all of their scheduled fixtures due to the cancelation of the ICC Women’s 50-over World Cup Qualifier due to an outbreak of the Omicron variant of Covid. However, it was enough to confirm her status as the USA Women’s team’s leading scorer in international cricket for the year. 
 
In recognition of her achievement, Bhogle will receive a plaque as well as a $500 DreamCricket.com Pavilion Shop gift card sponsored by New Inning Foundation.