The 27-year-old all-rounder Arundhati Reddy, hailing from Hyderabad, Telangana, has been one of the late bloomers with a lot of talent and potential. She made her international debut in a T20I on 19th September 2018 in the 1st T20I against Sri Lanka at Katunayake. Yashoda Mendis was her maiden wicket at the international level.
After a decent start to her T20I career, with 18 wickets at an average of 36.05 and an economy of 8.02 in 25 innings, while also scoring 73 runs in 13 innings with the bat for her side in the format, yet all of a sudden, she fell off the selector’s radar.
“The only thing that he told me was that whether the [India] tag comes or not, or whichever team that you play for, all we wanted to focus on was being the best allrounder in the world, wherever you play, be it a club game or an India game,” Arundhati Reddy revealed the conversation and the piece of advice she received from her coach, Arjun Dev at the NICE Academy in Bengaluru, played a crucial role in helping her focus only on the things that she can control, rather than getting affected by the if’s and but’s of the situation at hand.
She was then picked up by the Delhi Capitals in the inaugural edition of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) in 2023, she was then retained by the franchise in the 2nd edition on the back of her impressive all-round performances in the inaugural edition of the tournament. Her stint at the WPL, proved to be the game-changing moment for her as it provided the platform to showcase her all-round prowess.
She picked up 10 wickets at an average of 29.30 and an economy of 7.61 in 13 innings with the ball for her side across the first couple of editions in the tournament. Besides her contributions with the ball, she also scored 50 runs at a strike rate of 102.04 in 7 innings with the bat for the Delhi Capitals in the first couple of editions of the tournament. Her impressive performances earned her a recall into the Indian set-up.
She went on to make her ODI debut for India on 19th June 2024 in the 2nd ODI at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru. Tazmin Brits was her maiden wicket in the ODI format, returning with match figures of 8-0-62-1 with the ball in her spell. She also returned to the T20I format on 7th July 2024 in the 2nd T20I against South Africa at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai. She earned her spot in India’s squad for the 9th edition of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, played in the UAE and hosted by Bangladesh in October 2024.
She was one of the stand-out performers with the ball, finishing the tournament as India’s joint-highest wicket-taker with the ball alongside Renuka Singh Thakur with 7 wickets at an impressive average of 12.85 and an economy of 6 in four innings with the ball for her side. Her best performance with the ball for India in the tournament came on 6th October 2024, against the arch-rivals Pakistan when she returned with impressive match figures of 4-0-19-3 in her spell at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, which is also one of her career-best spells in the format for India till date.
She delivered yet another impactful performance in the game against Sri Lanka in the 12th match of the tournament on 9th October 2024, when she returned with impressive match figures of 4-0-19-3 in her spell at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. She has picked up 28 wickets at an average of 29.21 and an economy of 7.65 in 32 innings with the ball for her side in the format. She has also scored 74 runs in 15 innings with the bat for India in the format.
As far as the ODIs are concerned, she was picked in the squad for their tour to Australia for a three-match bilateral ODI series from 5th to 11th December 2024. She got her much-awaited opportunity in the 3rd and final game of the series at the W.A.C.A, Perth on 11th December 2024. She capitalised on the opportunity and proved to be one of the stand-out performers with the ball for her side in the game.
She also returned with the best bowling figures by an Indian (10-2-26-4) on Australian soil against Australia in the 3rd ODI of the series on 11th December 2024 at the W.A.C.A, Perth. It is also her career-best bowling figures in the ODI format to date. Despite her career-best spell against Australia, overseas, she was overlooked for the white-ball bilateral home series against the West Indies and the subsequent historic three-match bilateral ODI series against Ireland.
Arundhati Reddy represented Team A led by skipper Shafali Verma in the recently concluded edition of the Senior Women’s One Day Challenger Trophy. She was the 2nd highest wicket-taker for her side with 7 wickets at an average of 24.14 and an impressive economy of 4.69 in five innings with the ball for her side in the tournament. Besides her contributions with the ball, she scored 46 runs in three innings with the bat for her side in the tournament.
“I am not really sure what exactly happened, (After the Australia tour). My cricket is in my hands, and if I just keep doing my job, as and when the opportunity comes, I will do well for India.” Arundhati Reddy isn’t fazed about her non-selection to the Indian side, instead, she chooses to focus on the process. She will next be seen in action in the upcoming 3rd edition of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) from 6th February 2025, representing the Delhi Capitals as she was retained by the franchise ahead of the mini auctions for the 3rd edition.
(Quotes sourced from EspnCricinfo)
