India, Dec. 14 -- For Madhya Pradesh left-arm spinner Vaishnavi Sharma, the last few days have felt like a whirlwind as she has swung from deep disappointment to the biggest delight of a cricketer. Having gone unsold at the Women's Premier League (WPL) auction last month after being on the radar of Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, the 19-year-old had barely processed the disappointment when she was offered a far bigger prize: a maiden India call-up after being included in the squad for the upcoming T20I series in Sri Lanka.

"I was really gutted to be unsold in the WPL auction," Vaishnavi said. "But so many players, coaches and seniors reached out and supported me. Within three days, I got my first India call-up. I was over...