Indian cricket may have discovered its next big star. At just 15 years old, Akshara Gupta from Raxaul, Bihar, has created history with a stunning batting performance that has put her among the most exciting young talents in the country.
The teenage batter produced one of the most remarkable innings in Indian age-group cricket by scoring an unbeaten 306 runs off just 126 balls in the Bihar Women’s Under-19 One Day Trophy. Her record-breaking knock came on the opening day of the tournament in Bhagalpur, where she dominated the opposition from start to finish.
Akshara Gupta’s innings was packed with boundaries. She struck an incredible 55 fours and eight sixes, meaning 268 of her 306 runs came through boundaries alone. She maintained a phenomenal strike rate of 242.86 and spent only 233 minutes at the crease while rewriting the record books.
The young batter wasted no time in taking control of the match. She reached her fifty in just 16 balls and raced to a century in only 34 deliveries. From there, she continued her aggressive approach and eventually became one of the few players in Indian women’s domestic cricket to score a triple century in a limited-overs game.
Her achievement places her in elite company alongside Mumbai batter Ira Jadhav, who scored an unbeaten 346 in the Women’s Under-19 One Day Trophy last year.
What makes Akshara Gupta’s story even more inspiring is her journey to the top. She is the daughter of Raj Kishore Shah, who runs a chicken shop in Raxaul. With limited cricket infrastructure available for girls in her hometown, Akshara began playing cricket at the age of eight on a makeshift pitch under the guidance of her uncle.
Recognising her talent, her father later installed practice nets at home, while her mother Reena Devi helped ensure she maintained a disciplined training schedule. Their support played a key role in her rapid development.
Akshara Gupta’s hard work soon started paying off. In 2024, she earned selection to Bihar’s Under-19 women’s team and was handed the captaincy at just 14 years old. She also became the first female cricketer from Bihar to feature in all four BCCI age-group formats in a single season.
Her rise comes at a time when Bihar cricket is gaining fresh recognition. Many believe the success of young stars such as Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has inspired a new generation of cricketers from the state to dream bigger and believe that they too can succeed at the highest level.
For now, Akshara Gupta’s incredible 306-run innings stands as a powerful reminder that talent can emerge from anywhere and that Indian cricket’s future looks brighter than ever.
