Vaishnavi Sharma, the 20-year-old prodigy from Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh, has set Indian women’s cricket ablaze with her effortless leap from junior sensation to senior international star.
This left-hand batter and crafty slow left-arm orthodox bowler grabbed her T20I cap during the India – Sri Lanka series in December 2025, winning hearts with a wisdom that belies her tender age. Over five gripping matches, she pocketed five wickets highlighted by a sharp 2/24 while clocking a tidy economy of 6.25, tying for the series’ top wicket taker spot along with Deepti Shrama, Sree Charani and Kavisha Dilhari.
Her domestic rampage set the stage for this spotlight moment. Vaishnavi ruled the Senior Women’s T20 Trophy 2025, ripping through 21 wickets in 11 outings with her disciplined line and length that turned batters’ wickets down. She didn’t stop in the Senior Women’s Inter Zonal T20 Trophy 2025 either, taking 12 wickets from five intense games to co-lead the charts, her pinpoint control shining in domestic cricket. Such dominance thrust her into the national reckoning as India reshuffled post ODI World Cup glory.
The spark that truly lit her fuse was the ICC Women’s U-19 T20 World Cup 2025, where she anchored India’s triumphant defense. Gobbling 17 wickets at a jaw dropping average of 4.35 across six clashes, Vaishnavi unleashed a spellbinding 5/5 on Malaysia U-19 that stands as the tournament’s gold standard. With venomous spin on tricky pitches, she toppled stumps and dreams alike, whispering to the world she was ready to enter the senior team and earning that swift blue jersey.
Beyond the ropes, Vaishnavi’s charm matches her armory. On being asked about her favourite cricketers, she mentioned about Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Sachin Tendulkar calling him God of Cricket as her favourite Male cricketers, confessing, “Mujhe unse milna hai” for Virat Kohli as she has not met him yet. In women’s cricket her favourites included Smriti Mandhana, Sneh Rana, and Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur.
India’s bold move on Vaishnavi on recognising and shaping her raw merit, injecting fresh blood into a title winning squad that’s always hungry for more. With the T20 World Cup looming this year, this youngster will keep sharpening her edge on the grand stage. The Women in Blue feel the heat from risers like her, wiping out any trace of complacency, dauntless, dreamy, and deadly, Vaishnavi isn’t just stepping up; she’s sketching the blueprint for India’s next golden era in cricket.
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