Bharti Fulmali’s Unexpected Return: A Second Chance with Team India

For most of the last seven years, Bharti Fulmali had given up on the idea of a return to the Indian women’s cricket team. After featuring in two T20Is against England in 2019, the middle-order batter from Amravati believed her opportunity at the top level had passed.

Her disappointment was compounded by guilt over her performance in India’s loss in her final appearance. In March 2019, coming in at No. 6 in Guwahati, India needed just 25 runs from 29 balls for what seemed like an easy win. However, Bharti, then 24, managed only five runs off 13 balls and was dismissed with two balls left in a one-run defeat.

Despite this, Bharti has been given another opportunity. Thanks to her impressive performances for Gujarat Giants in the Women’s Premier League (WPL), where she has excelled as a six-hitter, the 31-year-old earned a place in India’s T20I squad for the upcoming tour of Australia in February.

“Honestly, I thought my chance to play for India was over. I didn’t expect to make a comeback, especially given my age of 31, which makes it more challenging. But I am extremely thankful for this opportunity,” Bharti shared with Sportstar on Sunday.

Following her brief and lackluster stint with India, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 made Bharti contemplate leaving cricket entirely.

“I did consider it,” she admitted. “I was blamed for India’s loss when I played, and for a whole year, I felt responsible. With no domestic cricket during the first year of COVID, I started searching for jobs because I had no income, and my focus shifted away from cricket.

“But then, I decided to focus on playing well for my state, even if I never made it to the highest level again, and that marked a new beginning.”

Published on January 25, 2026.