Shuchi Upadhyay, a talented left-arm bowler from Mandla district in Jabalpur division, has been selected to represent India in the upcoming three-nation One Day International (ODI) series to be held in Sri Lanka. The women’s cricket team, under the captaincy of Harmanpreet Kaur, will participate in the tournament scheduled from April 27 to May 7 in Colombo. Shuchi has previously made headlines in National Senior Women’s Cricket Tournament, where she was awarded ‘Player of the Series’ title for taking the highest number of wickets. From her childhood, Shuchi honed her skills at Ramleela Maidan near Nav Ghat in Mandla, practicing alongside boys, a dedication that has propelled her to this prestigious platform. It is noteworthy that her father, Sudhir Upadhyay, is also closely associated with cricket in Mandla district, having contributed significantly to the local cricket scene.

 

With this selection, Shuchi becomes the second woman cricketer from the Jabalpur division to earn a spot in the Indian national team, following in the footsteps of Richa Dwivedi from Jabalpur. Her selection has been met with great enthusiasm and congratulations from across the region. Members of the MPCA (Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association) panel including Chairman Siddharth Patel, Naresh Sachdeva, Suresh Verma, Mahendra Sachdeva, Achal Singh Gaur, Aditya Patel, Manoj Thakur, Vikram Jansari, Nitin Pandey, Vishnu Patel, Bhavna Srivastava, Basant Thakur, Anil Soni Gullun, Indra Dev Bhartiya and Ajay Mishra from Mandla extended their heartfelt wishes and congratulations to Shuchi. Her journey stands as an inspiration to aspiring cricketers, especially young girls from smaller towns, proving that talent combined with perseverance can achieve national recognition.