Not Vaibhav Sooryavanshi: Bihar finds another prodigy, 15-year-old hits three centuries
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi took Bihar cricket to greater heights after making headlines in the IPL and earning a call-up to the Indian team at the age of 15. From the Sooryavanshi family, his 10-year-old brother Aashirwad also caught the eye by scoring 103 off 87 balls while representing the Tajpur Cricket Academy in Samastipur.
While the focus has largely been on the Sooryavanshi family, now another wonder has emerged from Bihar, this time in women’s cricket. 15-year-old Akshara Gupta smashed a sensational triple century in the Bihar Women’s Under-19 One Day Trophy. Representing Raxaul, Akshara scored an unbeaten 306 off just 126 balls, an extraordinary knock studded with 55 fours and 8 sixes.
Her performance has caught the eye in domestic cricket circles, especially as Bihar continues to produce promising young talent alongside names like Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. Akshara’s innings is seen as a major watershed moment for Bihar women’s cricket, with selectors keeping a close eye on her rapid rise in the age-group tournaments.
WHO IS AKSHARA GUPTA?
Akshara comes from a humble background and discovered cricket at the age of eight. There were no formal coaching facilities, no academy or structured girls’ team in her small town. With guidance from her uncle, she began training in a simple backyard and practiced for nearly five hours every day with a strong determination to improve.
Her father, Raj Kishore Shah, runs a chicken shop in Raxaul, while her mother, Reena Devi, is a housewife. To support her passion, her father set up an exercise net in their garden so she could train regularly. Her mother ensured discipline in her routine, waking her up every day at 5 a.m. with a glass of milk before going for her morning run. She grew up in a supportive family with two sisters and a brother. Akshara Gupta has joined the growing talent pool of Bihar Cricket. Courtesy: Akshara Gupta Instagram
Her cousin Rishabh, a Bihar cricketer, was her first inspiration. Playing with the boys around her helped her build self-confidence and she regularly attended auditions without fear.
2024 became a breakthrough year when she was selected for the Bihar women’s under-19 team and soon after was given the captaincy at just 14 years of age. She also became the first female cricketer from Bihar to play all four BCCI age group formats in a single season.
Last year, young Mumbai batsman Ira Jadhav grabbed the headlines after he produced one of the most unusual innings in Indian domestic cricket. Playing for Mumbai in the Women’s U-19 One Day Trophy against Meghalaya, she scored an unbeaten 346 runs off just 157 balls, an innings that included 42 fours and 16 sixes.
At just 14, Ira became the first Indian cricketer to score triple centuries in limited-overs cricket, setting a new benchmark in the history of youth cricket. With Akshara’s rise on the domestic circuit, she reflects the growing depth of young talent coming through Indian women’s cricket.
With established stars like Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur continuing to lead the way, India now seem to have a strong and expanding pool of new players to take the game forward in the coming years.
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Issued by:
sabyasachi chowdhury
Published on:
19 Jun 2026 18:11 IST