India’s New Spin Star: Shree Charani’s Inspiring Rise from Rayalaseema to the World Stage

India achieved a historic victory over Australia in the semi-finals of the Women's World Cup 2025. Right-handed batsman Jemimah Rodrigues was the main protagonist of this victory, but another player, with her lethal bowling, forced Australia to surrender. She was left-arm orthodox spinner Nallapureddy Shree Charani.

Born in Erramalle village, Veerapunayunipalli mandal, YSR Kadapa district, Andhra Pradesh, Shree Charani is the first female cricketer from her district to play for the Indian team. Her father, Chandrashekhar Reddy, wanted her to be a badminton player, but his daughter's insistence overruled him, and India gained a brilliant spinner.

Raised in a humble family, Charani's father is a small-time employee at the Rayalaseema Thermal Power Project. Encouraged to take up badminton in grade six, she also played kho-kho. Inspired by Smriti Mandhana and Yuvraj Singh, she entered the world of cricket.

Charani says, "My mother believed from the beginning that I would one day play for India. She immediately accepted my decision to become a cricketer, while it took my father about a year to understand. My mother and uncle always supported me, while my sister and father took some time to warm up. But my mother's belief that I would achieve greatness in cricket was unwavering."

Sharing a memorable anecdote, she said, "Once we went to a jewelry shop in Kadapa. When the cashier asked about my kit bag, my mother smiled and said, 'She plays cricket, and one day she will play for India.'" My mother was the first person who believed in me."

Recalling her childhood, Charani said, "At the age of six, I used to play cricket with my friends. My father sent me to a badminton academy. There, PT Sir, seeing my running, encouraged me to take part in kho-kho and athletics as well. I played all three sports together for two years. In our area, kho-kho and athletics were professionally available, but cricket was not. In ninth grade, I played district-level cricket, and in tenth grade, I told my father that I wanted to take it seriously."

She further said, "It took me a year to convince my father, and then COVID-19 ruined two crucial years of my career. In our village, we played on turf, where if the ball went out of the ground, the batsman was considered out. At that time, I was a medium pacer, but not as effective; batsmen were easily bowled. Then I decided to become a spin bowler. When I started bowling spin, I started getting wickets consistently because batsmen were unable to read my deliveries. That's where my journey to becoming a spinner began."

Initially, she was coached by her uncle Kishore Kumar Reddy. Hard work, performance and passion earned her a place in the India Under-19 team. In the Women's Premier League (WPL) 2025 auction, she was bought by Delhi Capitals for Rs 55 lakh. In her debut against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), she created a sensation by taking two wickets in a single over. In the final, she also took two wickets against Mumbai Indians. She shone in the Senior Women's Multi-Day Challenger Trophy, taking five wickets against India B, taking a total of 9 wickets in three matches.

Selected in the senior team for the Sri Lanka-South Africa ODI tri-series in April 2025. Made her ODI debut against Sri Lanka on 27 April and took 6 wickets in the tournament at an average of 43.16. After this, she was selected for the England tour. Sneh Rana handed her the cap on her debut.