Nandni Sharma and the making of a pressure bowler

Nandni Sharma, the standout debutant of the ongoing Women's Premier League, thrives in tough game scenarios, where her compulsive need to crack a joke makes way for serious focus.

She took to cricket at age 8, inspired by her older brother Akash, who trained at a facility in Chandigarh. As the only girl playing with boys in her neighborhood, she faced unsuited advice to stay away from the sport. Her primary motivation was to prove herself worthy of joining her brother at a coaching academy.

Her parents agreed to formal coaching, but the coach at the LIC Club, unsure how to train a young girl with older boys, let her roam without serious practice. Frustrated, she left within six months.

Cricket soon resumed at the same ground with her school, Sacred Heart Senior Secondary School, which had a girls' team. In an open tournament against the LIC Club, Nandni, bowling to much older players, took three wickets to secure victory for her school. This first vindication of her skill was followed by anxiety about facing the LIC coach again.

A friend pushed her toward the coach, who then welcomed her for training. She trained there until the clinic shut down in 2018.

Her career progressed sharply: she developed steep bounce, learned to bowl bouncers, and was taught the outswinger by her brother and father. This earned her spots in Punjab's age-group teams and a national camp at the NCA in Bengaluru as a 15-year-old in 2017/18. Seeing batchmates progress to the national team ignited her desire to join them.

Growing up in a family of cricket aspirants—her father and brother played district cricket—Nandni's ambitions aligned with theirs. Financial constraints arose, as her father, the sole earner for a family of five, ran a small business.

"We never let Nandni feel that strain," Akash said. "It was a collective family decision to support her professional cricket journey. We told her to play and not worry; we would handle any financial challenges."

Just three games into the WPL, she has shown composure in pressure situations, curbing runs in the death overs and dismissing set international batters at key moments. However, debuting at 24, her growth has been relatively slow despite an early start.

A significant leap came after she joined Sukhwinder Bawa's coaching academy in Chandigarh post-pandemic. Training alongside faster-bowling boys forced her to sharpen her skills. With family help, she developed a range of slower deliveries.

Though her stint under Bawa was brief, it pushed her to increase pace and master slow-ball variations, which she has deployed effectively in the WPL. Her bowling also features steep bounce, speeds over 110 kmph, and the ability to swing the new ball both ways.

Recently, she has played for Chandigarh Women's senior team, North Zone in zonal tournaments, and India B. Selection for the U-23 Emerging National Camp at the NCA, where she trained under Troy Cooley and refined her inswinger, made an Indian team call-up seem within reach.

Delhi Capitals skipper Jemimah Rodrigues hailed Nandni as the 'pick of the season,' praising her as a "captain's delight" for her accuracy and readiness to take on challenges.

While her family is delighted by her WPL success, Akash acknowledges the opportunity came later in her career, delayed partly by recurring injuries common to fast bowlers.

After taking a five-wicket haul against Gujarat Giants, Nandni advised aspiring fast bowlers: "Never give up. There will be tough times, injuries, and moments you want to quit. Fight through and come back."

Akash reflects that he doesn't know which specific struggles she referred to—whether injuries or future uncertainties—as she never showed discouragement to the family. To them, she has always been the "most notorious kid," eager to crack a joke at every opportunity.