Lisa Sthalekar: From Indian Orphanage To Australian Cricket Stardom

Lisa Sthalekar's extraordinary journey reads like a movie script--except it's all real life! Born on August 13, 1979, in Pune, Maharashtra, her biological parents left her in an orphanage days after birth, as they could not support her. She was then adopted by Haren and Sue Sthalekar, an Indian-English couple living in the United States, who named her Lisa. The Sthalekars moved to Sydney, Australia, 18 months later, where the little girl found her passion in cricket, thanks to her father. This fondness for the sport soon became a legendary career marked by several historic victories and achievements.

Lisa Sthalekar's Cricket Career

• Lisa Sthalekar learnt cricket from her father, who grew up playing cricket in the gullies of Mumbai. "My father born and raised in India taught me this great game. I'm eternally grateful," Lisa Sthalekar said in a recent Instagram post.
• She first started playing against boys and was not aware that women also played cricket. Her father then took her to a women's Test match between Australia and England at North Sydney Oval, where she was enthralled by the skill and determination of the players.
• Sthalekar then joined the Gordon club in northern Sydney; playing with the boys on the weekend mornings before competing with the women during the afternoon.
• In 2001, Lisa Sthalekar made her debut for Australia as a hard-hitting batter. In ODIs, she scored 2728 runs in 125 games, including two centuries and 16 fifties.
• Her off-spin was also a potent weapon, with her off-spin still being among the top ten wicket-takers in 50-over cricket.
• Sthalekar concluded her career as a World Cup champion in 2013, taking 2 for 20 in the final against the West Indies.
• Sthalekar was the fourth woman to be inducted into Australia's Cricket Hall of Fame in 2021.
• Sthalekar represented Australia in 187 international games.
• In 2007 and 2008, she received the Belinda Clarke Award, which is granted to Australia's best female international player. She played a key role in Australia's success in the 2010 T20 World Cup final.
• She was the first woman in ODI cricket to reach 1000 runs and take 100 wickets. She also took part in eight tests and 54 T20 Internationals.
• Sthalekar retired from International cricket in 2013 and has since been active in the commentary circuit and the Australian Cricketers' Association.

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• In 2022, Sthalekar was made the President of the Federation of International Cricketer's Association(FICA). This made her the first woman to be entitled to this position globally.
• Besides cricket, Sthalekar is also involved in golf, according to her Instagram bio.