The Women in Blue are currently hosting the Proteas for a multi-format series commencing from June 16 to July 9. In the curtain-raiser of the series, the Harmanpreet Kaur-led India registered a commanding 143-run victory over South Africa, taking a 1-0 lead in the 3-match ODI series. In the 2nd ODI, medium-pacer Arundhati Reddy received her debut cap after a gap of three years from the international scenario.
Prior to the tour, the Women’s Selection Committee announced the India squad, which saw the inclusion of Arundhati getting her maiden call in ODIs and inclusion in Test and T20I squad after a gap of three years.
Arundhati Reddy made her international debut against Sri Lanka in the T20I series in September 2018. Throughout her T20I career, she has been a valuable asset to the Indian side, bowling crucial overs at important times. Her last appearance in Indian colors was in the 3rd T20I against England on July 14, 2021, during the India tour of England in Chelmsford. Since then, she hasn’t featured in any international matches until she received her ODI debut cap in the 2nd ODI against South Africa.
In her T20I career spanning 26 games, she has taken 18 wickets and has also proven to be a capable batter, providing reliability lower down the order. Reddy played some crucial cameos during her time with the Indian side.
When away from the national team, she worked on her batting, and in the recently concluded Senior Women’s One Day Trophy 2023, she scored 252 runs in 5 innings, registering the highest score of 73. Additionally, in the Senior Women’s Inter-Zonal One Day Trophy 2023, she scored 226 runs at an average of 45, notching up 3 fifties. She also showed her batting class in the 2024 Senior Women Inter Zonal Multi-Day Trophy where she played two matches for the South Zone. She scored 57 and 6 runs in both innings of the first game, respectively. Later, in the second test match, she shined brighter than the first, scoring 85 and an unbeaten 26 runs in the first and second innings, respectively, while also contributing with the ball.
In her Women’s Premier League (WPL) career, she was bought by the Delhi Capitals at the price of INR 30 lakh in the inaugural WPL auction. She played both seasons of the WPL for the same franchise. In WPL 2024, she played 9 matches in which she took 8 wickets at an economy of 7.62, and her best bowling figure was 2/27 against the Mumbai Indians Women. Her performance in the 2024 WPL is quite commendable; she has consistently proved herself at the domestic level and hence became one of the key players from the Delhi Capitals Women’s team. Based on her recent performance, she also got a place in the Indian Women’s team.
