Shree Charani with Harmanpreet in Women's World Cup (Source: AFP)
The 1983 World Cup win changed Indian men's cricket forever, and now, November 2, 2025, is expected to do the same for women's cricket. After years of heartbreaks and close finishes, Harmanpreet Kaur and company have created history and have registered their maiden World Cup win.
21-year-old stands out among superstars at home
Big players like Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur, Deepti Sharma and Jemimah Rodrigues have grabbed attention in the World Cup with their splendid performance. However, there is one more player who has been a silent warrior for India in this Women's World Cup and has played a big part in the victorious campaign - that player is 21-year-old Shree Charani.
The World Cup is a platform where one tends to back experienced players who have played on a big stage earlier. However, the Indian management made a bold decision to back a player with experience of just seven ODIs for the home World Cup. The decision was made despite having options of more experienced players, and Shree Charani made sure that she lives upto the expectations of the captain and management.
Charani's composure and skills stand out on the biggest stage
Charani started off with two wickets against Sri Lanka in the opening game and was quite economical against Pakistan and South Africa. However, her biggest test was supposed to be against the mighty Australians. To make the matters worse, the pitch was pretty flat, and India also posted a massive score of 330. Thus, Australians had to play aggressively and they came out all guns blazing as well.
Out of the six Indian bowlers, four went at an economy rate of over seven. Deepti Sharma conceded just less than six, but it was Shree Charani who grabbed the attention and kept Australian batters under control amidst all the carnage around her.
She gave away just 41 runs in her 10 overs, with three big wickets and was the only bowler who found respect from the Australian batters. She continued her good work in the following matches, and then came up with another brilliant performance in the semifinal. Charani got the wicket of Mooney and Annabel Sutherland in quick succession in the semis and played a big role in India keeping Australia in check again.
Harmanpreet's trump card under pressure
Overall, every time India were under pressure in the World Cup, Harmanpreet Kaur turned to Shree Charani and the left-arm spinner delivered. Her impeccable accuracy and the style of bowling quicker through the air made her more effective than most of the other spinners in the World Cup.
In the final too, she got the wicket in her very first over and overall, picked 12 wickets in the middle overs phase. In an ODI game, it is crucial to pick wickets from overs 11-40 to keep the opposition under control, and that is where Shree Charani stepped up in big matches in this World Cup.
Thus, Charani was the bowler who delivered for captain Harmanpreet Kaur whenever India were under pressure. She is not the one who is flamboyant or grabs limelight outside the cricket field, but on the field, she was a pillar of India's bowling attack in the World Cup. The left-arm spinner is just 21 years old, and with the kind of composure and skills she has shown on the World Cup stage, don't be surprised if this underrated Andhra player becomes a household name soon.
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