Who is Bihar’s ‘Lady Sooryavanshi’, Akshara Gupta?:Became state senior team’s captain at 15, slammed triple ton in one-day match

In the last few months, Bihar’s name has risen to prominence through the streets of Indian cricket thanks to the teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. At just 15 years old, he became the highest run-scorer with 776 runs in IPL 2026 and also the youngest cricketer to be selected for Team India. But now another teenager from Bihar has drawn the attention of the cricket world. The only difference is that this time the discussion is about women’s cricket. Her name is Akshara Gupta, aged just 15 years old. In the Bihar Women’s Under-19 One Day Trophy, she scored an unbeaten 306 runs in just 126 balls. Her innings included 55 fours and 8 sixes. While staying at the crease for 233 minutes, she scored runs at a strike rate of 242.86. She completed her half-century in just 16 balls and her century in 34 balls. But this story is not just about 306 runs. This is the story of Raxaul, a small town in Bihar bordering Nepal, where there was no big cricket academy, no modern facilities, and no environment for girls to play cricket. Read on to know how Akshara became the female Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Akshara picked up bat at age of 8, father prepared pitch in the backyard for practice Akshara’s father, Raj Kishor Shah, runs a chicken shop. Her mother, Reena Devi, is a housewife. Seeing his daughter’s passion for cricket, her father built a net and practice pitch in the backyard of the house. Her mother would wake her up at 5 AM every day, give her milk, and send her for a run. Akshara started playing cricket with her brothers and neighbourhood boys at the age of 8. Her uncle, Ramkripa, recognised her talent and made her practice daily with throwdowns. She has been training regularly since 2020, and Akshara still practices for about 5 hours every day. Got Bihar U-19 captaincy, senior women’s team debut at 14 Akshara’s cousin Rishabh, who is associated with Bihar Cricket, became her first idol. 2024 proved to be a turning point in her career. Soon after being selected for the Bihar Under-19 team, she was handed the captaincy at the tender age of 14. She made her mark by scoring half-centuries against strong teams like Haryana and Punjab. She received her reward in February 2026. At the age of 14, she was selected for Bihar’s senior women’s team, becoming the youngest female cricketer to play senior cricket for the state. Played all BCCI age groups in single season, scored triple ton in 126 balls Akshara became the first female cricketer from Bihar to play all four BCCI age group (Under-15, Under-19 T20, Under-19 ODI, and Under-23) tournaments in a single season. Shortly after this, she played two consecutive innings that earned her recognition across the country. On June 19, in a Bihar Women’s Under-19 one-day Trophy match at Sandis Compound Ground in Bhagalpur, Akshara smashed an unbeaten 306 runs off 126 balls. During this innings, she hit 55 fours and 8 sixes. Batting at a strike rate of 242.86, she remained at the crease for 233 minutes. Thanks to her innings, the team scored 450 runs in 40 overs, while the opposing team was bowled out for 121 runs. Four days later, Akshara scored 164 runs off 68 balls, which included 24 fours and 6 sixes. Why is Akshara called ‘Female Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’? Both Akshara and Vaibhav are from Bihar, both are left-handed batsmen, and both believe in attacking bowlers from the very first ball. This is why Akshara has started being called ‘Female Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’ in the cricket world and on social media. Akshara’s favourite shot is the cover drive. Her batting against spin bowlers is considered her strongest. Inspired by Smriti Mandhana, likes Virat’s mentality Akshara’s biggest inspiration is Smriti Mandhana. Her batting, timing, and cover drives are what Akshara likes the most. She is also a fan of Virat Kohli’s attacking mindset and fitness. Akshara supports Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in WPL and IPL. Akshara says that her biggest dream is to wear the Indian women’s team jersey.