Sree Charani’s ice-cool control. Sheetal Devi’s relentless grit. Chess queen Divya Deshmukh unleashing gambits. In 2025, India’s young sportswomen didn’t just compete — they conquered. From Unnati Hooda and Tanvi Sharma ushering in a new era in badminton to the rise of another ‘Phogat’ — Suruchi — this time on the shooting range, Ankita Bhagat rattling South Korea’s archery dynasty, Preeti Panwar’s clinical power in the ring, or Antim Panghal reminding she still owns the mat. Express Sports dives deep into ‘Gen She’ – the trailblazers who kept the Tricolour flying high Midway through the World Cup, with India’s plight looking gloomy after losing three games in a row, cricketer Sree Charani’s father Chandra Shekhar Reddy asked her, rather tense: “You are losing all the games, how are you going to win the World Cup? But his daughter coolly, almost nonchalantly, reassured him: “We are going to win no matter what, just see.” Her words would turn prophetic. The streak of confidence defines Sree Charani, one of the architects of India’s World Cup triumph, her journey from a cricketing backwater, Yerramalla Palli Village in Andhra Pradesh’s Kadapa district, and non-sporting background, an inspirational tale in itself. Only 21, and relatively fresh to international cricket, the grand stage of the World Cup did not faze her. The left-arm spinner used her wiles and wits to grab 14 wickets in nine games. A product of her times, she is confident without bordering arrogance. The parents, though, are nervous when watching her bowl. Charani wonders why. Reveals her mother, Renuka: “We feel tense most of the time, but she never panics at all. ‘She asks us why we are panicking’ in return. She is quite daring.” Her daring stems from her confidence in her skills, honed by hours of practising. Be it academics or polishing her variations, she tenaciously slogs until she is fully satisfied with her. Ground where Sree Charani practised. (Express photo) Her mama (uncle) Kishore Reddy recollects: “She is very self-aware. If there is a problem in her game, she just goes on practising and until she perfects it, doesn’t return home, and she won’t let me go either.” He remembers her passion to practice: ”Sometimes we go around 11 in the morning and keep practising till 3-4 in the afternoon.”Story continues below this ad Her father concurs. “She is stubborn at all costs; she has to learn. She doesn’t leave the coaches until they teach her what she is looking for,” says Chandra Shekar. “Academics, too, she never gave up. If she wants to learn something, she will. She locks the door, sits inside and orders not to disturb her, and we don’t even go near that room until she opens the lock,” he adds. Kishore mama, a former kho-kho player, has a profound influence on her. She picked up the game from her cricket-tragic uncle. Her father, who worked in Rayalaseema Thermal Power Station, and lived in the company’s humble quarters, once brought home plastic bats. Whenever he visited her nieces—Charani’s sister Vaishnavi too played—he would play cricket with them. Sometimes, he took Charani to the grounds in the quarters where she competed with players way above her age. Also Read | Women’s World Cup, IND vs SA: Why there is a buzz around Sree Charani in Vizag Ironically, though, she dabbled in most sports but cricket. At the DAV School, she played kho-kho, badminton and took part in middle and long distance running. Her physical education instructor at school, Naresh, calls her god’s gift. “She had equal endurance as boys of her age. I remember once we had a 3km running competition between boys and girls in school, she finished the race alongside the boys. Our aim was to complete the event as quickly as we can,” says Naresh, laughing.Story continues below this ad “In state meets she used to perform well. I remember in Kho-Kho once against a very good opposition, she remained not out for seven minutes in a seven-minute game,” he recollects, although her mind was always in cricket. She was so proficient that she got selected for the SAI training centre for athletics at Gachibowli in Hyderabad. Here, her destiny flipped. “SAI head at the time, N Ramesh asked her which games she liked, and she replied to him, cricket, and then he asked her why are you here? She replied, ‘my father sent me’,” says Chandra Shekar, chuckling. The father’s contention was that: “In athletics, you are by yourself; it all depends on your performance. When there are 11 players, it is harder to get the same identification among them.” She also captured the attention of former cricketer and national selector MSK Prasad. MSK Prasad (former Indian selector) sometimes used to come to the academy. When Prasad and others saw her skills, they advised her to pick cricket,” says Naresh. Through reference from a player at the GHMC cricket academy in Kukatpally, Charani went to former Ranji cricketer Marripuri Suresh, who was the coach there at the time and started her professional cricketing journey.Story continues below this ad Some of his relatives were skeptical of her pursuing sport, but her father never discouraged her. “I never told my children to do anything. I said to them don’t give us a bad name. I will give you all the freedom and money, just don’t create any headaches for us. Don’t make us shameful.” Little did he know that Charani would make his and his family proud. Banner outside Sree Charani’s house at RTPP Quarters. (Express photo) In the wink of an eye, their life has changed. But the more it changes, the more it remains the same for her. Despite the newfound riches, including the hefty auction amount of Rs 1.3 crore Delhi Capitals coughed up for her, she remains rooted to the place that raised her. “Even now, she practices on that ground (Ground in RTPP quarters),” Kishore says. They still stay in a humble, middle-class area. Before every tournament, Renuka says, Charani offers her prayers and breaks a coconut at the family temple of Chennakesava Swamy temple, which is located about 35km from home. She may have conquered the world, but she remains grounded.
The making of Sree Charani: Talent, practice and resolve
