August 16, 2014 – a historic day for the India women’s cricket team. They registered their second-ever Test victory in England. The remarkable part of that match was that India handed out eight debut caps and still managed to win the only Test at Wormsley. Among those debutants was a pacer from Bihar, Shubhlakshmi Sharma. The former quick played only one Test in her career but left her mark with the ball.
She picked up four wickets across two innings. In both innings, she dismissed the current England skipper, Nat Sciver-Brunt, while her other scalps were Sarah Taylor and Anya Shrubsole. Now, as the India women’s team prepare for the upcoming ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup in India and Sri Lanka starting on September 30, 2025, Shubhlakshmi shared her thoughts in an exclusive chat on RevSportz’s Stumps, Stories, and Spills podcast.
Recalling that famous Test in England, she revealed how a piece of advice from former India pacer Jhulan Goswami helped her bowl the yorkers that brought wickets.
“After tea, I was bowling and Jhulan di was there. She came to me and suggested bowling a yorker. At that time, I had good control over yorker deliveries and the ball was quite old by then. So, I tried the yorker and it helped a lot to take those wickets,” she said.
She also mentioned that Sarah Taylor’s wicket was her favourite. “The match was in England and therefore, there was some help for the pacers. It was an extra bonus for pacers like us and when we got the opportunity, the only aim was to perform and take wickets. Luckily, I got wickets. For me, my favourite was Sarah Taylor’s wicket,” she added.
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In her international career, she went on to play one Test, 10 ODIs, and 18 T20Is. Asked about how her journey began and why she chose to be a pacer, Shubhlakshmi said she idolised former Australia speedster Brett Lee.
“Since childhood, I was a sports lover and used to play different sports. My brother used to play cricket and since then, I developed the love for cricket. In the inter-school tournament, the journey started and then gradually through the district, state, and more. I used to like Brett Lee a lot and hence, I always wanted to bowl like that,” she said.
She also praised former India captain Mithali Raj, under whom she made her Test debut.
“I played along with both Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami a lot. First, I want to say that I liked Mithali Raj the captain a lot. The calmness she used to show while leading, I was attracted to that. I closely observed that, especially while playing for the Indian Railways in the domestic arena,” she said.
On the current state of women’s cricket in India, she said that recognition has grown, especially with the Women’s Premier League (WPL).
“Currently, women’s cricket in India has the limelight. It started after the 2017 World Cup and now with the arrival of the WPL in the past few years, it has been fantastic. People have started to recognise women’s cricket. Matches are being closely contested and youngsters like U-19 players are getting chances,” she said.
When asked about the present pool of Indian players, she admitted that while options have increased due to the WPL, injuries are a concern. “The current pool is good, the WPL is giving you options but unfortunately players are getting injured. They need to keep their focus on fitness,” she said.
Finally, on India’s chances and Harmanpreet Kaur’s captaincy in the upcoming home World Cup, she said all eyes will be on them.
“This team is doing well. Players are in form and they are grabbing opportunities when given. It seems a healthy competition within the team but also a strong bond. Hopefully, at home they will do well and win the trophy. Harmanpreet has been leading for such a long time now and she brings so much experience. As a player, she is still delivering. Look at the WPL, she has won twice as captain and now, at home, where players are used to the conditions, hopefully she and her team will do well,” Shubhlakshmi concluded.
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