The chants of RCB, RCB were roaring at Chinnaswamy stadium. The atmosphere was electric. Amidst the high voltage Asha Shobana was handed over the ball by RCB captain Smriti Mandhana. Smriti Mandhana only wanted Sobhana to get least one of Shweta Sehrwat and Grace Harris as UP Warriorz were in total control in pursuit of 158. With seven wickets in hand, they needed only 32 runs in the final four overs. This is supposed to be a stroll. 

Sobhana might have also been thinking about her parents, who had recharged their DTH connection only to watch her play. She didn’t want to let anyone down on the night.

But it was Sobhana that Smriti turned to. At 32, she had been around for years in domestic cricket.

Yet, there was still something unknown about her. When she was in Class VII and returned home one day at 7 pm after attending trials, Sobhana had found the house empty. Her parents had gone to file a missing complaint at the police station.

Her path to the Women’s Premier League was filled with ups and downs, like many other girls who have had to break barriers to get this far.

Shobhana was grown up in Thiruvananthapuram and she attended training sessions only because her coaches offered her bus fare. Sobhana started bowling by using rolled up balls of waste paper which she would put inside empty milk packets.

And on the domestic circuit, barring the 2022-23 season, she has been among the wickets regularly.

She wasn’t a certain starter in the inaugural edition last year. 

Yet, the RCB team management saw something in her. She picked up only five wickets in five matches, at an economy rate of over 8. But, when this edition came, it was evident they were going to put their faith in her.

After catching attention last year, Sobhana had gone back to work on her game. Former India spinner Laxman Sivaramakrishnan was so impressed with what he saw that he volunteered to coach her for free. 

And this January, she would spend three days with Sivaramakrishnan in Chennai. Speaking to Indian Express Sivaramakrishnan explained, “She is a quick learner and has a strong personality. All that we had to do was make small technical adjustments, which would make her more effective and help her to go a long way in future.”