Chandigarh, Aug. 2 -- Growing up in Erramalle village in Kadapa district, Andhra Pradesh, young Shree Charani was a sports addict. Be it badminton, athletics or kho-kho, she was at it. Cricket too held a special place in her life. When she started playing the game with her uncle Kishore, other sports took a back seat. And it was Yuvraj Singh's swag on the field which bowled over the young girl. She would emulate the former India all-rounder in bowling as well as batting, especially after India won the 2011 World Cup with Yuvraj adjudged the Player-of-the-Tournament. Charani, who has now played eight ODIs and five T20s, feels fortunate to follow in her role model's footsteps, after making a mark in the recent white-ball tour of England. The Indian women's team won both the T20I (3-2) and ODI (2-1) series with left-arm spinner Charani hogging the limelight following a stellar showing in both series. "We did great in England. No matter how the warm-up games went, the team put up a great effort in the T20Is and ODIs. We want to repeat this again and again," she said. "I gained confidence and some experience playing five games in Sri Lanka which helped me in England. I just bowled the way I bowl using conditions to my strength." The 20-year-old made a splash on her T20I entry in England, becoming only the second Indian woman to take four wickets on debut. Emerging as the leading wicket-taker in the series with 10 scalps also helped establish herself in the ODIs. "Preparation helps a lot. Credit goes to my captain (Harmanpreet Kaur) and team coach (Amol Muzumdar), they are moulding and pushing me. They got the best out of me. I want to stay focussed and be very consistent to remain part of the Indian team," said Charani. Though she was doing consistently well for Andhra Pradesh, in the U-19, U-23 and senior teams, it was playing for Delhi Capitals in the last Women's Premier League (WPL) that brought Charani into the spotlight. "My WPL stint turned out to be the game-changer. Playing alongside the world's best gives you confidence of another level. Also, you are seen more on such a platform. Playing and training under captain Meg Lanning, I learnt a lot. She gave me tips on how I should bowl, pitching on which areas will be more effective. I executed and it helped me a great deal," said Charani. She took nine wickets in three games in the Senior Women's Multi-Day Challenger Trophy in Dehradun to get selected to the ODI team for tri-series in Sri Lanka in April-May, where she took six wickets in five games. Former India skipper Mithali Raj too has mentored Charani. "Hearing from a legend like Mithali gave me a huge boost. I started trusting my instincts, not overthinking under pressure. Her encouragement pushed me to raise my standard," said Charani, who will be in contention for the Women's ODI World Cup India will co-host in September-October. "Representing a team in a World Cup is every player's dream. My job is to stay prepared, contribute whenever called upon and to support the team whether I'm in or not," she added. Next up is the challenge of playing three ODIs against Australia ahead of the World Cup....