Juhi Chakraborty (HINDUSTAN TIMES; January 12, 2020)

Actor Anushka Sharma has cricket on her mind. And, no! It has got nothing to do with her husband, skipper Virat Kohli. Although, his tips might come in handy for her.

Well, Anushka is set to portray former Indian women’s cricket team captain, Jhulan Goswami in her next. We have learnt that India’s pace spearhead is getting a biopic and Anushka has already started prepping for the role.

According to a source, “The production team couldn’t get anyone who would match Jhulan’s physical characteristics, but they were thrilled when they finally found Anushka to be a perfect fit for the part.” The source added that the 31-year-old actor is currently being trained by Indian cricketer Jemimah Rodrigues’ father, Ivan Rodrigues, and Indian cricket coach Prashant Shetty.

The production team is working on a special promotional shoot — photo and video — at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, later this month. “An award-winning prosthetics team is flying down for the prep. Anushka would be doing the promo shoot at the Eden Gardens on January 25. The stadium has been booked for the whole night to avoid any crowd,” the source informs.

And there is excitement back home for Anushka, whose last film, Zero (2018), didn’t do any wonders at the box office. “Virat is also very excited and invested in the project,” shares the source.

We reached out to Jhulan for a comment, however, she didn’t sound too keen to discuss the project. When asked about it, “Ummm… I am not sure, I don’t want to talk about it”, is all she had to say.

Jhulan hails from Chakdaha, a small town in Nadia, West Bengal. At the age of 19, back in 2002, she played the One Day International against England held in Chennai. In 2007, Jhulan bagged the ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year award. She was conferred with the prestigious Arjuna Award in 2010, and the Padma Shri two years later. Another laurel to her credit: She is the highest wicket taker in Women’s One Day International cricket.

Meanwhile, this is not the only biopic on a female cricketer in the works. Actor Taapsee Pannu will be seen wearing the cricket gear for her upcoming film Shabaash Mithu, a biopic on Indian women’s cricket captain (ODI) Mithali Raj.