Anushka Sharma impressed on her WPL debut.
Gujarat Giants batter Anushka Sharma flexed her superior skills on her Women’s Premier League (WPL) debut against UP Warriorz. She scored 44 runs in 30 balls, including seven boundaries, at a strike rate of 146.67 while batting at No.3, which eventually helped her team get off to a winning start.
In an interview with Cricbuzz, Anushka herself admitted that she was concerned about her dwindling returns at the higher level, making her question herself. However, her family helped her calm down, and she soon changed her mindset to overcome initial hiccups.
Anushka revealed a valuable conversation with the current Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) captain Rajat Patidar, which helped her flourish. The two play for the same state – Madhya Pradesh – in the domestic arena, and the young cricketer asked Patidar how to score a century.
“If you are going to bat thinking that you want to score a century, you won’t. You have to set small targets and start every ball as if you’re batting on zero,” advised Patidar.
In 2022, Anushka Sharma relocated to Indore, began training under renowned coach Arun Singh in Shivpuri, and revamped her training methods. She showed improvements in the Senior Women’s One Day Trophy 2024, with 212 runs at an average of 53 and a strike rate of 72.60 in five outings, comprising a century.
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Later, in the Women’s U23 One Day Cup 2024, Anushka accumulated 206 runs at an average of 41.20 and a strike rate of 58.85 in six innings, with a fifty. Then came one of her best performances in the Senior Women’s One Day Trophy 2024 final, where she notched up a terrific 64 to guide her team to the title.
Anushka Sharma later flexed her improved hard-hitting abilities in the Senior Women’s Inter Zonal T20 Trophy, scoring 155 runs at a strike rate of 125, with 16 fours and five maximums. Her impressive expertise caught the eyes of Gujarat Giants’ scouts, and she was picked at INR 45 Lakhs at the WPL 2026 auction.
In her debut innings, the batter depicted why she has been rated highly, using sweeps and reverse sweeps to good effect, something that’s possible when a batter picks lengths quickly. That Gujarat Giants used Anushka at No.3 straight away showed the trust in her abilities, and a great season in this tournament will surely take her closer to the India team.
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