Written by Shruti Bedi Chandigarh | December 11, 2025 12:29 AM IST 4 min readInspired by Mithali Raj’s leadership and Shafali Verma’s fearlessness, Aditi describes her own game as calm when needed and explosive when possible. Her favourite shot is the straight drive, which she calls “clean, classic and full of intent”.Sixteen-year-old Aditi Sheoran has emerged as one of the most promising names in Chandigarh’s women’s cricket. The all-rounder has been selected for the BCCI Women’s One Day Trophy beginning December 13 in Lucknow, her third straight appearance in the national championship. She will represent the UT Cricket Association’s Under-19 team, which has already left for the tournament.Speaking to The Indian Express, Aditi recalled walking into her first trials unsure if she even belonged in a sport still seen as a boys’ preserve in many parts of the country. “When I went for the trials, there were no girls in the stadium. I thought they would not even let me play,” she said. “But once they saw my determination, they put me in.”A rising recordAditi has represented UTCA Chandigarh in both Under-15 and Under-19 BCCI women’s competitions and played the U-19 One Day Championship last year. In the 2025-26 sports calendar, she finished as the top scorer in the Inter-School State U-17 Girls Cricket Championship conducted by the Chandigarh Education Department.Her performances have earned her a Commendation Certificate from the Chandigarh Administration. “I am training hard for it. I want to wear the India jersey and hold that World Cup trophy one day,” she said.Balancing books and batsDespite training five to six hours a day, Aditi insists on attending school regularly. “Even when I have practice, I still go to school,” she said. “Because when you are in school, you learn a lot more than just from books.” The balance did not come easily. “In Class 7, I would come home so tired that I could barely eat before sleeping. My marks dropped from the 90s to the 70s. It felt like a crisis, but that is when I learned you cannot score in every match or exam.”From nervous debutant to U-19 captainHer first match, in the Under-17 school state tournament on August 8, 2022, is still vivid. “I barely knew how to hold the bat. It was a 10-over game and I just defended everything. I played all 10 overs and made 11 not out,” she laughed. Even the hit she took on her arm while fielding became part of the lesson. “That day I realised what patience means in cricket.”Two years later, she was named captain of the U-19 School Nationals Team, the youngest ever to lead a Chandigarh side. The announcement came a night before the tournament in Udaipur. “I was shocked for five minutes, then I started planning,” she said. “Most girls were older than me, but they respected me. We worked as one.” She captained again in 2024, heading the UTCA U-19 Women’s Zonal Team.A coach who refused to go easyStory continues below this adAditi credits her coach, Sanjeev Pathania, for refusing to treat her differently. “He never treated me differently because I am a girl. When others ran 15 rounds of the stadium, he made sure I did the same,” she said. “He always says, ‘You started from zero and look where you are now.’ He taught me not to stop even when it hurts.”Breaking barriers in a boys’ clubGrowing up in Haryana, Aditi learned early what it meant to stand out. “Boys used to bowl fast just to scare me. They would aim at my body on purpose. But I never cried. I did not even flinch,” she said. That grit stayed with her. “Once I heard a boy say women do not play real cricket. Now those same boys talk about the Indian women’s World Cup win. And I hit sixes off their balls now.”Inspired by Mithali Raj’s leadership and Shafali Verma’s fearlessness, Aditi describes her own game as calm when needed and explosive when possible. Her favourite shot is the straight drive, which she calls “clean, classic and full of intent”.Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:chandigarh