At 15, Rhea Nadkarni’s ambitions with cricket ball are bigger

At just 15, Rhea Nadkarni aims high in cricket as she prepares for the Speed Queen finals in Mumbai.

She is just 15, yet already taller than most her age — and her ambitions with a cricket ball are even bigger. That quest for excellence brought Rhea Nadkarni all the way from the United States to India for the inaugural WPL Speed Queen contest. It hasn’t taken long for the young pacer to make an impression, with Rhea already catching the eye of the WPL scouting network.

At 15, Rhea is already learning to live with nerves — and to bowl through them. “It was very nerve-wracking,” Rhea told The Hindu, recalling her first experience at the WPL Speed Queen trials held at the Air India ground in Kalina on the Republic Day. “They explained what we were going to do, we warmed up together, and then suddenly you are called in to bowl. I think I was fifth or sixth.”

What followed was a moment that could quietly reshape her cricketing journey. Her first delivery clocked just 52 mph, and she slipped mid-action. But one of the selectors noticed something beyond the speed gun. “She said, ‘This girl has a nice action. Although she is bowling a little slow, let’s look into it’,” Rhea recalled.

Moved to another net — and another speed gun — Rhea, 5’9” tall, suddenly found rhythm. “The first ball there was 63 miles. Then 64. Then they said, ‘Bowl one more, let’s get to 65.’ When I finally hit 65, they got excited,” she said, smiling. Soon after, she was asked to stay back for an interview. Hours later, the call-up for the all-India finals, to be held in Mumbai on February 2, followed.

For Rhea, who grew up playing cricket in Houston, Texas, the moment carried extra weight. “In the U.S., there is not as much competition for girls,” she said. “Here, seeing how big cricket is in India, how many girls were there — it gave me a lot of confidence but also showed me how much harder I need to work.”

That grounding influence begins at home, with her father Sushil — former India U-19 and Maharashtra opener, ex-USA international and now her coach. How did the father let her – and her elder brother Aarin - “I probably did equal batting and bowling when I started,” Rhea said. “He is a batting coach, so that’s natural. But bowling just clicked faster for her.