The Indian under-19 women's cricket team is on a high after clinching their second consecutive T20 World Cup title and Mumbai's Sanika Chalke has been making an impression being part of the side.

The 19-year-old Sanika, who was the vice-captain of the team, remained unbeaten in five out of seven matches with some useful and handy contributions in the matches against South Africa and Scotland with scores of 26 and 29 respectively.

She batted at number three and gave her best in the World Cup. She was not out with 29 runs against Scotland and remained unbeaten with 26 runs in the final against South Africa.

"I was satisfied with whatever opportunity I got, and finishing the game was a satisfactory feeling. The coach told me to finish the game, which I kept in mind while trying to score maximum runs for the team. I was very well aware of my role as I was playing at number three, and I practised accordingly."

The young lass spoke about the challenging conditions in which she had to bat.

"During the World Cup, we faced weather challenges and had to acclimatize to the conditions. It was hot in Malaysia, and the outfield was not fast. However, since we played in the Asia Cup in Malaysia just before the World Cup, we adapted to the outfield quickly. In the World Cup, I got the opportunity to play small innings. In the future, I want to play big innings and perform well in the upcoming domestic ODI tournament."

The seeds of Sanika the cricketer were sown when she used to participate in a tennis-ball cricket tournament organised in her society.

During one of the matches she scored a hundred in just 36 balls and Sanika believes that was the turning point of her career and after that everyone advised her father to support her pursuit of a cricket career.

Her parents then took her to a boys' cricket club in Dombivli, where she started learning the basics of cricket under coach Rajan Dhotre. Later, she joined the Cricket Mantra club in Mulund, where she continues to train under coaches Swapnil Pradhan and Manish Rao.'

She debuted for the Mumbai team at the age of 13 in 2020, and subsequently, in 2021-22 in the senior team, she debuted in the senior team. In 2024, she debuted for the Indian team and played in the 2024 Asia Cup, which India won.

Sanika is currently studying second-year commerce at Jhunjhunwala College in Ghatkopar West. She chose this college because of its supportive environment for athletes.

Her mother is a software engineer, and her father resigned from his sales manager job at a major private company to support Sanika's cricket career.

She mentioned that women's cricket is growing rapidly, gaining respect, and offering better career opportunities. She also noted that several premier leagues and the Women's Premier League (WPL) are available, which are proving to be very beneficial.

Sanika, who is a left-handed batter and leg-break bowler, used to stay at Dombivali and currently resides in Kanjurmarg East.

In the World Cup, India was in Group 'A' alongside Sri Lanka, West Indies, and Malaysia. India won all three matches in the group stage, then defeated Bangladesh and Scotland in the semi-final qualification matches. In the semifinal, India beat England, and in the final, India defeated South Africa.