In the opening T20I against England at Trent Bridge on Saturday, one other Indian cricketer besides stand-in captain Smriti Mandhana caused a stir with her performance.

On her T20I debut, left-arm spinner Shree Charani dominated the show by taking four wickets for twelve runs while sporting a blue headband over her pixie cut, helping India inflict England their worst loss ever, by a decisive 97 runs. The 20-year-old, who made her international debut in April and has since played five ODIs, demonstrated her mettle by announcing her arrival in India's shortest format with a bang.

Shreyanka Patil and Asha Sobhana, two Indian spinners, were tested, and Shuchi Upadhyay was chosen for the trip to England, but all of them have been sidelined by injuries. Charani, who plays for Andhra Pradesh, has been able to make a mark as a spin talent as well as with her demeanor on the field, thanks to the opportunity that has presented itself. Mithali Raj, the former captain of the Indian team, was so taken by Charani's abilities that she really pushed her.

As the mentor in Andhra Pradesh, Mithali saw Charani's spin bowling and spoke about the route for the spinner with Vanitha VR, the head coach of the Andhra Pradesh senior women's team and a former Indian cricketer.

"Charani's talent impressed Mithali. She had performed well for the Andhra senior team. She bowled with power, accuracy, and a decent amount of spin. In order to prepare them for the season, Mithali met with her and the crew several times. According to Vanitha, Mithali brought Charani to the Women's Premier League, where she was acquired by the Delhi Capitals in the auction, after advising her to prioritize the senior team circuit and lessen her participation in U-23 state matches.

DC purchased Charani for ₹55 lakh. She took two wickets in the WPL final against the Mumbai Indians, the winners, averaging 17.75.

In March, she won a five-wicket haul against India B at the Senior Women's Multi-day Challenger Trophy, which she performed well at domestically. She also took nine wickets in three games. She was subsequently chosen for the Indian ODI squad for a tri-series in Sri Lanka.

She was learning things at a respectable rate, and her progress was steady. She is extremely focused and serious. During the WPL auction, when DC purchased her, her father became somewhat emotional, but she was quick to advise him to calm down and avoid becoming emotional. She has strong batting skills and is a two-dimensional cricketer. Vanitha continued, "After scoring a match-winning knock, she led Andhra Pradesh to a T20 victory over Mumbai."

Charani hails from the village of Erramalle in the YSR-Kadapa district of south-central Andhra Pradesh. Vanitha has also been selected for the ODI team, which will compete in a three-match series following the T20Is. Vanitha is optimistic that Charani will be able to become India's top spinner in the years to come and will also be able to contribute significantly to the forthcoming ODI series against Australia, followed by the ICC Women's World Cup, which begins in India and Sri Lanka on September 30.

"The selectors also had an effect when we saw the back spinners Poonam Yadav, Ekta Bisht, and Rajeshwari Gayakwad for a lengthy period. Charani should be given additional games to boost her confidence and expertise. Her capacity to catch hitters off guard is due to the somewhat faster pace at which she bowls the ball through the air. Vanitha said that if she is properly groomed at the international level, she may be India's main spinner on the World Cup squad. According to her, Charani received support from Sana Sathish, the secretary of the Andhra Pradesh Cricket Association, throughout the previous campaign, and Sathish also made choices that helped advance women's cricket in the state.

In the tri-series, Charani, who admires Yuvraj Singh, grabbed six wickets in the five games she participated in Sri Lanka.

She completed her remarkable haul by scalping England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt at Trent Bridge on Saturday. As England hit 62 in pursuit of a massive 211, Sciver-Brunt was the only player who stood firm.

After the game, Smriti Mandhana praised the newcomer for her outstanding 62-ball 112, which paved the way for the straightforward victory. “The spinners, particularly Shree Charani, really did well to provide breakthroughs. In the previous WPL, we got a glimpse of her potential with the ball. Her performance in the WPL was decent, but the passion she displayed in the first match was truly astounding.

On Tuesday, the County Ground in Bristol will host the second T20 match.

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