Gandhi Jafta is living the words of the famous poem by Robert Frost, choosing to travel the path less travelled. 

"As in the poem, I chose the 'path less travelled' in academia. It has led me to exciting discoveries. But unlike the poem, my journey doesn't end there. I am also carving a path on the cricket pitch, proving that intellectual prowess and athletic skill coexist beautifully," Jafta explains.

These are not empty words for the Tuks PhD student in Mathematical Statistics. She is set to represent the South African women's cricket team at the 13th African Games in Ghana.

Jafta is genuinely passionate about playing cricket. She has been playing for as long as she can remember. There was a time when she aspired to be a world-class tennis player. In the end, however, she chose cricket. It was the team aspect and the opportunities that clinched it for her. 

She is an all-rounder who has played for the South African Emerging and National Women's Academy teams. Provincially, she has played for Border and the Titans.

Jafta relishes the duel between bat and ball. It is the unpredictability that gets her adrenaline pumping.

"When batting, you can lose your wicket with every delivery. I focus only on what happens when the ball leaves a bowler's hand."

Jafta joked in a previous interview about why she bowls off-spin, "Basically, I am lazy and don't like long run-ups. Don't write that. I am just kidding. When I joined the Titans, they already had a core of well-established bowlers. I decided to take up a bowling spin as I wanted to be in the thick of things during a game."

The one thing she is proud of is that she has established herself as a recognised bowler. 

"When I started bowling for the Titans women's team, I was more of a 'golden arm'. Batsmen would need to figure out what to expect from his medium-pace meets leg-spin genre and would often get out. I worked hard to master the art of off-spin bowling. It has paid dividends. Nowadays, I get to bowl my full quota when I play."

Jafta has played for the South African Emerging and National Women's Academy teams. Provincially, she has played for Border and the Titans.

Jafta is a forever student. For her master's, she did a spatiotemporal model exploring COVID-19-related tweets in South Africa to showcase her ability to translate complex data into meaningful insights. But she considers herself more than a mere numbers and algorithms student. 

"My journey as a student began with an undergraduate degree in philosophy, politics, and economics, demonstrating a curious mind that seeks to understand the world in all its dimensions. This unique blend of analytical and critical thinking fuels my passion for statistics, allowing me to see patterns and connections that others might miss."

It can't be helped to wonder about the name Gandhi. Jafta laughs when asked why she is named Gandhi. 

"Many people presume that I was named after Mahatma Gandhi because of his role in South Africa's politics, but I am not. I was named after Indira Gandhi, India's only female prime minister. My mother was reading a book about Indira Gandhi when she was pregnant. That influenced her when a decision about my name had to be made."