Arundhati Reddy during practice. Photo: X/@BCCIWOMEN.

Enter Arundhati Reddy’s house and you don’t get the sense that it is the residence of a seasoned cricketer, let alone one who was a part of the victorious Indian team in the recent Women’s ODI World Cup.

The large, breezy rooms — and even the detailed interior work, done to her taste — appear quite ‘normal’ until your eyes fall on a photo frame under her television, featuring Arundhati receiving her T20I cap from Mithali Raj.

“She doesn’t want anything on display,” Arundhati’s mother Bhagya tells The Hindu. “She said, ‘Amma, I’m playing because it is my thing, I enjoy it. I don’t want to put on a show.’ I requested her a few times, but it was a solid no.”

Brick by brick

Her daughter’s haul of medals and trophies adorns her bedroom walls instead, as a nod to the fulfilment of sporting dreams she could never realise. A former State-level volleyball player, Bhagya, a single parent, dedicated her life to building Arundhati the cricketer, brick by brick.

Arundhati bears the lessons of a hard life. She is happy to fly under the radar and let her craft speak for itself.

Used primarily as a substitute fielder in the World Cup, Arundhati, anticlimactically, found herself cheering from the sidelines and running drinks instead.

Renuka Singh emerged as the pace spearhead after Jhulan Goswami’s retirement; her efficacy in the PowerPlay made her a sure starter when fit. A young Kranti Gaud, with her penchant for speed and fearlessness to attack, found herself among wickets against quality opponents in the run-up to the World Cup. Arundhati dropped down the pecking order despite being a mean swing bowler and a handy bat. Her oscillating economy-rate didn’t help her cause either.

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But when India clinched the title, the contingent waxed eloquent about Arundhati’s impact on the team’s morale.

“When you’re not playing, it is difficult,” she says. “You’re constantly waiting for a chance. But I felt like this World Cup wasn’t just about me. I’m a private person. Even if I wasn’t feeling my best, I had to put on a smile and head to training because I didn’t want any negativity rubbing off on those around me. Until my time comes, I’m okay clapping for others.”

This situation tragically mirrored what her life was like in early 2025. She was dropped despite a stellar haul (four for 26) in the third ODI against Australia at Perth late last year and an individually decent T20 World Cup before that.

“I didn’t speak about it when the drop happened. I cried the entire night, showed up the next morning, played a match wherever I was, went back and cried again. There was a three-day break during which I didn’t step out of the room. I had always been rewarded for doing well, but not being picked despite a good run was a first. Took me a while to realise that, in the end, only cricket stays with you.”

That wisdom came in handy for Arundhati when trying to be there for her friends, something a bawling Jemimah Rodrigues gushed about after a match-winning century to knock out holder Australia in the semifinals.

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“I’ve had my share of anxiety and panic attacks. Jemi’s one of my best friends. You wouldn’t want to see anyone go through what she did. Credit to her for speaking in public. It’ll help people know they are not alone in that experience.”

Betting on herself

Arundhati’s maturity comes from the unwavering support of her mother and brother Rohit. For it was they who stood by her when she went through the grinding wheel of emotions before doing what many in India consider sacrilegious — quitting a well-set government job to pursue sports.

“When I left Railways, many called me foolish. I was then close to being unsold in the first Women’s Premier League auction, until Delhi Capitals picked me in the accelerated round. Maybe it was foolish. Maybe I was mad. But I’m really grateful that everything fell into place. Things could’ve gone either way. I could’ve looked like an idiot or a mastermind.

“Everybody was busy blaming me, but nobody realised that I left with plenty of doubts and uncertainty from my family as well, because I was the one who had to provide for my family financially. I knew I had a responsibility to pay the loans and whatnot. I didn’t know where money would come from.”

Unshakeable bond: Bhagya, a single parent, has dedicated her life to building Arundhati the cricketer.
| Photo Credit:
G. Ramakrishna

That decision-making process on a phone call with her family, in fact, played out in public in Bengaluru.

“I didn’t think it would be such an emotional call with my family, where I was crying my heart out. There’s an auto stand outside the Shangri-La hotel. I hid behind one of the autos. I was there for around two hours, just sobbing and hoping that nobody would recognise me.”

The pacer is the apple of her mother’s eye, but come matchday and Arundhati doesn’t want her mother anywhere near her. “I was still not sure whether to call her for the [World Cup] final or not because every time she had come in the WPL, we had lost in the finals.”

For the World Cup though, Bhagya thought ahead and asked if she could be in attendance for a potentially historic moment. “The least I could do for my team was not calling mom [laughs], but when she asked, I didn’t want to stop her.”

There was a time in India’s campaign when it looked like it would be denied the chance to fight for the trophy. Three gutting losses — to South Africa, Australia and England — left the host with several uncomfortable questions to contend with.

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“It’s good that the losses happened. When things aren’t going well, it tests your character. We came together a lot more as a team, because we knew we had no other choice.

“When we stepped into the D.Y. Patil Stadium, I remember Vijay Patil sir telling us, ‘You’ve come at the right time. You will not be let down here’. I think it’s now most players’ favourite ground by a mile.”

Path to improvement: A mean swing bowler, Arundhati will be looking to address her oscillating economy-rate to force her way back into the XI.
| Photo Credit:
Getty Images

Weeks have passed, and Arundhati has just started letting loose and soaking in the victory. Celebrations on the night of the win saw her break her sugar abstinence. Gulab jamuns and ice creams were savoured in generous amounts. But the following day, she was back to her routine.

Just the beginning

Arundhati is aware that this is just the beginning, and she will have to get going from zero again, starting with WPL-4, where she will turn out for Royal Challengers Bengaluru after the franchise’s winning bid of ₹75 lakh in Thursday’s auction. She had been earlier released by Delhi Capitals.

With multiple WPL finals played, the world crown won, and having forced her way back into national reckoning, Arundhati now welcomes every positive, however big or small, with open arms while knowing that the hurdles along the way are just that — hurdles and not the end of the world.

“If I could meet my younger self, I would say, ‘You did well’. The journey wasn’t very easy. But I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

India’s Arundhati Reddy delivers a ball during the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup cricket match between Pakistan and India at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai on October 6, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AFP

India pace bowler Arundhati Reddy was on Monday (October 7, 2024) reprimanded for giving an aggressive send-off to Pakistan’s Nida Dar during their Women’s T20 World Cup contest here.

Reddy had taken three wickets in India’s six-wicket win over the arch-rivals on Sunday. She let emotions get the better of her after castling Dar in the 20th over of the Pakistan innings as she gestured in the direction of the pavilion.

“Reddy was found to have breached Article 2.5 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to ‘using language, actions or gestures which disparage or which could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batter upon his/her dismissal during an International Match’,” said the ICC in a statement.

“In addition to this, one demerit point has been added to Reddy’s disciplinary record, for whom it was the first offence in a 24-month period.”

Reddy admitted to the offence and accepted the sanction.

On-field umpires Eloise Sheridan and Lauren Agenbag, third umpire Jacquline Williams and fourth umpire Claire Polosak levelled the charge.

Level 1 breaches carry a minimum penalty of an official reprimand, a maximum penalty of 50% of a player’s match fee, and one or two demerit points.

When a player reaches four or more demerit points within a 24-month period, they are converted into suspension points and a player is banned.

Arundhati Reddy (right) gives Nida Dar fiery send-off during T20 World Cup match.© Twitter

It was a regulation catch but Asha Sobhana failed to hold on to the ball.© X (Twitter)

The Indian bowling unit fired in unison against a clueless Pakistan, restricting the arch-rivals to a lowly 105 for 8 in their second group league game of the Women’s T20 World Cup on Sunday. Having conceded 160 against New Zealand on a slow track under lights in their opener, the Indian bowlers read the pitch well, and more importantly, took the pace off deliveries to make stroke-making all the more difficult. Such was their control that Indian bowlers were able to deliver 58 dot balls.

Seamers Renuka Singh Thakur (1/23) and Arundhati Reddy (3/19) neither erred in line nor in length while off-spinners Deepti Sharma (1/24) and Shreyanka Patil (2/12) got enough grip and bounce to keep the Pakistani batters on tenterhooks. Reddy even gave Pakistan’s Nida Dar an angry send-off. 

Arundhati Reddy pic.twitter.com/VWZcrNHfmW

— Suresh Kumar (@SureshK84102899) October 6, 2024

Leg-spinner Asha Sobhana (1/24) went for a few boundaries but got rival skipper Fatima Sana with a big leg-break after the batter was brilliantly snapped by Richa Ghosh behind the stumps.

Renuka bowled a tight first over and her inswinger had Gull Feroza (0) bowled through the gate.

Deepti, who gave a much better account of herself, albeit against an inferior batting lineup, decreased the pace of her deliveries and also flighted a few.

Sidra Amin (8 off 11 balls), who wanted to get a move on, tried to slog sweep one but the ball bounced off her pads and rolled onto the stumps.

Pakistan managed only 29 for 2 in the powerplay and the Indian bowlers increased their stranglehold on the opposition batters.

Arundhati was unlucky as Asha dropped a dolly when opener Muneeba Ali’s (17) ramp scoop was there for the taking. Reddy, however, had Omaima Sohail in the same over when the right-hander’s uppish drive was easily taken by Shafali Verma at mid-off.

The left-handed Muneeba was dismissed when she tried to give Shreyanka the charge and the off-spinner cleverly shortened the length and also got the ball to turn enough for Richa to complete the stumping.

Tottering at 41 for 4 at the halfway stage, Pakistan batters were unable to even push the ball in the gaps, and it was veteran Nida Dar’s 28 off 34 balls that took them past 100-run mark.