Chandigarh, Jan. 4 -- The past fortnight has been nothing short of transformative for young left-arm spinner Vaishnavi Sharma, who made a memorable T20I debut in the India women's 5-0 series drubbing of Sri Lanka. Reporting to the camp excited to meet her idols - skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and vice-captain Smriti Mandhana - Vaishnavi could not have imagined how swiftly her dream would unfold. It was thus extra special as Harmanpreet handed the 20-year-old her India cap at Visakhapatnam. Thrown into the spotlight, the Madhya Pradesh bowler made an immediate impression. Bowling at a deceptive pace of around 80kph, and often slower, Vaishnavi extracted sharp turn and was accurate, unsettling Sri Lanka batters. While she took her first wicket in the second match, her control, trajectory and craft drew praise throughout the series. She took five wickets at an economy of 6.26. Former India spinner Nooshin Al Khadeer, who has closely tracked Vaishnavi's rise, praised her talent. "I have watched her progress closely - from domestic cricket to the U-19 World Cup where she took a hat-trick and ended the leading wicket-taker. After that, she topped the charts again in the multi-day challenger and domestic T20s. So, I wasn't surprised by her India call-up," Al Khadeer, a two-time U-19 World Cup-winning head coach, said. "She is a very different left-arm spinner. She understands trajectory - how to bowl in the Powerplay, middle overs and at death. Her lengths change with the phase of the game. If you are comparing her with up-and-coming left-arm spinners Parunika Sisodia, Sonam Yadav, Suchi Upadhya and Mannat Kashyap, each one is very different." Vaishnavi's haul matched that of the team's leading spinner, Deepti Sharma. Surprisingly though, Vaishnavi though went unsold in the WPL auction despite a modest base price of Rs.10 lakh. "It was shocking that she went unsold. But in a way, her hard work was rewarded with an India cap," Al Khadeer said. The WPL starts January 9. India head coach Amol Muzumdar also lauded the youngster and the selectors' approach. "Her U-19 exploits and domestic performances were rewarded," he said....