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.”

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.”

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.”

Marizanne Kapp of South Africa celebrates with team mate Laura Wolvaardt after taking the wicket of Aliya Riaz of Pakistan (not pictured) during the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup India 2025 match between South Africa and Pakistan at R. Premadasa Stadium on October 21, 2025 in Colombo, Sri Lanka. (Photo: ICC via Getty Images