Team India handed left-arm spinner Shree Charani a T20I debut on Saturday, June 28 against England at Trent Bridge on Saturday, June 28. Little did skipper Smriti Mandhana know that the debutant would get her name registered in history books with a breathtaking spell of bowling.
Charani became only the second Indian woman to take a four-wicket haul on debut. The youngster picked up 4/13 in her 3.5 overs as she bagged the second-best figures by an Indian woman on T20I debut, behind Sravanthi Naidu's 4/9 in 2014.
IND W vs ENG W 1st T20I Match Report: Smriti Mandhana's 112 & Shree Charani's Dream Debut Power India To Dominant Win Over England By 97 RunsAll you need to know about Shree Charani
The 20-year-old hails from Erramalle village in Veerapunayuni Palli mandal of Kadapa district in Andhra Pradesh. Charani plays for Andhra in the domestic circuit. A few months back in March, she took her maiden five-wicket haul in first-class cricket during a clash against India B in the Senior Women’s Multi-day Challenger Trophy.
In the Women's Premier League she was signed by the Delhi Capitals in the during the auction in December 2024 for Rs 55 lakh. Charani played two matches and picked four wickets in the league, with her debut wicket being of Raghvi Bist.
Charani has played five ODI matches till now, having earned her maiden cap in the tri-series that also featured Sri Lanka and South Africa.
India crush England
Earlier, stand-in captain Smriti Mandhana had slammed 112 to help the visitors post 210/5. Harleen Deol was the other top scorer with 43 runs. For England, Lauren Bell picked up 3 wickets for 27 runs.
Chasing a mammoth total of 211 runs for victory, England lost wickets at regular intervals. Charani picked up wickets of Alice Capsey, Sophie Ecclestone, Nat Sciver-Brunt and Lauren Bell. While Sciver-Brunt played a lone hand of 66 from 42 balls, India marshalled their way to a 97-run win, and handing England their biggest loss in the format.
