article by Suvankar Roy
The sky over Gwalior was eerily silent. It was a city under lockdown—streets deserted, the air still. On a quiet rooftop, a 17-year-old girl sat alone, trying to hide her tears.
She stared into the darkness, but what she was really looking at were her shattered dreams. Her lips trembled; her voice caught in her throat. She didn’t say it out loud, but the thought haunted her:
“I can’t do this… maybe I’m just not good enough to be a cricketer.”
That girl’s name is Anushka Sharma.
Today, that name flashes across the WPL scoreboards in neon lights. But not long ago, it was a name on the verge of disappearing forever.
When Dreams Bleed
It was the Under-19 season. Match after match, failure followed failure. The runs dried up. The ball refused to find the middle of the bat. With every dismissal, a little more of her self-belief crumbled.
In the dressing room, she became a ghost—silent and unsmiling. Only one question echoed in her mind:
“Is everyone wrong about me? Am I actually worthy of being here?”
For the first time, she realized that cricket isn’t just about the jersey and the applause. It is about humiliation. It is about loneliness. It is a war with oneself—and at that moment, she was losing.
That Night on the Roof: The Brink of Ending it All
After dinner, the family gathered on the roof for a stroll. There was light chatter and laughter. But Anushka remained in the shadows. Suddenly, she collapsed to the floor, buried her face in her hands, and began to sob.
Her mother rushed to her side. Her father froze. Her brother watched in silence. Through her tears, she choked out the words:
“I can’t do this anymore… I’m not good enough… I want to quit cricket.”
For a heartbeat, the world seemed to stop. Then, her father’s voice broke the silence—calm, yet unshakable “One bad year does not define your future. You will not stop. You will fight.”
Her mother placed a comforting hand on her head. Her brother whispered, “You’ve got this.” Under that dark Gwalior sky, a warrior learned how to stand up again.
Back to Where it All Began
She was four years old. Not in a stadium or on a manicured pitch, but in a narrow alleyway. Her brother was batting; Anushka was the bowler.
She didn’t know how to grip the ball. She didn’t know how to follow through. She only knew one thing: she wanted to be by her brother’s side. When the bats were too heavy, she used a wooden plank (thapka). When there were no pads, her father handcrafted a pair for her—simple, lightweight, but filled with love.
It was in those handmade pads that a legend was born.
Skipping School to Change a Life
At 14, a trial came up. She only agreed to go because it meant a day off from school. Little did she know that “playing hooky” would write the first chapter of her professional life.
It was her first time playing against other girls. Everyone was watching. She played with freedom, got selected, moved to the state team, and eventually became a top-tier all-rounder. Even then, the scale of her potential remained a mystery to her.
The Kohli Spark
- India vs. Australia.
Sitting in front of the TV, she watched a man play like he was possessed by fire: Virat Kohli. He was running, fighting, and winning the game single-handedly.
Anushka’s eyes widened. She whispered to herself: “I want to be like him.” That was the day she decided she wouldn’t just play anymore—she would compete.
Injury, Darkness, and the Turning Point
2022 brought an injury that forced her into a long, silent hiatus. During her comeback, she sought advice from Rajat Patidar, asking: “How do I play the big innings?”
His response was simple: “Give every single ball a new life.”
In her first match back, she smashed a double century. The dressing room was stunned. As her name lit up the scoreboard, Anushka cried again—but this time, the tears were of pure joy.
A Star is Born: The WPL Stage
The WPL arrived with its blinding lights, deafening noise, and immense pressure. She was sent in at a critical moment. Sophie Devine was back in the pavilion; Ash Gardner was struggling. The stadium whispered: “Is the stage too big for her?”
Anushka looked up. She took her guard. And then, she unleashed.
Sweeps, drives, reverse hits—a flurry of boundaries silenced the skeptics. Her bat was speaking for her: “I didn’t get here by accident.”
She fell just short of a half-century, but the job was done. The match was won. Her coach remarked with certainty: “She will play for India.”
The Final Scene
A rooftop. A crying girl. A broken dream.
And today? A packed stadium. A professional jersey. A household name: Anushka Sharma.
The girl who once wanted to give it all up is now the reason thousands of girls refuse to quit.