Asha Shobana is an Indian cricketer. She is an all-rounder who played for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the inaugural season of the Women’s Super League.
Wiki/Biography
Asha Shobana Joy was born on Saturday, March 16, 1991, in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India (32 years old as of 2023). Asha completed her primary education at Kokotun Hills Girls’ High School, Vajusa, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala and then from St. Mary’s High School, Pattom, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. She studied Bachelor of Commerce (B.Com) from Government College for Women, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. She grew up playing gully cricket with her brother and cousins. From a very young age, she regularly watched cricket matches on television and was inspired by Sachin Tendulkar’s innings during India’s 1998 Coca-Cola Trophy match against Australia. She revealed in an interview that she was a student when she first watched a women’s cricket match on Doordarshan channel and watched her idol Neetu David play for the team; soon after, she read about the women’s section in the newspapers Advertisement for team tryouts. She decided to attend the trials but was initially hesitant to inform her parents, so she arrived at the trials with the help of her school’s physical fitness teacher. Asha was only 12 and a half years old when she was selected for the team. She started working with Indian Railways in March 2011.
appearance
Height (approximately): 5′ 5″
Weight (approximately): 55kg
Hair color: black
Eye color: black
Body measurements (approximately): 33-28-35
family
She was born into a middle-class Malayali family in Perukada, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.
parents
Her father’s name is B. Joy. He is a car driver. Her mother’s name is S. Sobhana. Her brother Anoop Joy works at GAC Dubai.
Asha Shobana and her mother
Asha Shobana and her father
Asha Shobana’s brother
husband
She married Ashwin Vijay on January 2, 2017. Ashwin is also a cricketer and represents the Hyderabad Cricket Team.
Asha Shobana and husband
religion
Asha Shobana believes in Christianity.
sign
Asha Shobana’s signature
cricket
Domestic
When she was 12 and a half years old, she was selected for the Trivandrum District Women’s Cricket Club and soon became a starter for the district team. During her success with the district club, she was noticed by former Kerala women’s cricket team captain Shabina Jacob, who later became her mentor. Shabina wants Asha to be part of the state team as she can gain more experience, declaring her the “most promising youngster”. Soon after Shabina noticed Asha in 2003, she was selected for the Kerala women’s team to compete in the Senior Games in Chennai. But she didn’t compete in any of the games. She made her debut for the Kerala senior team at the age of 14 and became a key player for the Kerala women’s team, leading them for almost a decade.
Asha Shobana plays for Kerala senior women’s team
She then played for Southern Districts, making her debut at the age of 16. Asha was just 19 years old when she participated in the Senior Women’s T20 Challenger Cup. In the 2011/2012 season, she took 10 wickets in 5 games and scored two 50-run scores for Kerala. In 2011, she took 12 wickets in four matches and became the top wicket-taker in the Inter-District Women’s Cricket Championship in Ahmedabad. With her outstanding performance, she was selected into the railway team.
Asha Shobana with the Indian Railways team in 2013
On March 10, 2012, she was part of the Indian Women’s XI that lost to the Australian women’s national team by 5 wickets on the tour of India. She was held scoreless and was chased by Meg Lanning. Asha bowled three balls and took the wicket of Lanning. She plays for the South Central Railway women’s team along with former India women’s captain Mithali Raj, who described her as a “brave cricketer”. She was part of the Smriti Mandhana-led India Blue women’s cricket team (formerly known as India A) which participated in the 2017-2018 Senior Women’s Challenger Trophy. On 8 January 2018, she took three wickets from ten overs in the final against India Green (formerly known as India B) at the Holkar Stadium in Indore; India Blue finished with 33 runs Advantage won the game.
Asha Shobana plays for India A
In 2018, she represented the India A team against the Australian women’s national team during their tour of India. On March 6, 2018, she scored 11 runs from 19 balls and bowled 6 wickets at an economy rate of 9.16. On March 8, 2018, she bowled four overs with an economy rate of 4.75 and scored 13 runs from 16 balls; Asha caught Alyssa Healy’s fish. She was dismissed LBW by Jess Jonassen. In the second round of the Women’s Senior T20 Trophy 2019-2020, she took four wickets against Himachal Pradesh Women. In 2020, she took four wickets for Railways against Goa Women’s Cricket Team. Asha was part of the Railways team that won the Women’s Senior T20 Trophy in the 2019-2020 season. She was a member of the Railways team that won the Women’s Senior One-Day Trophy in the 2020-2021 season.
Asha Shobana wins senior women’s one-day trophy
Asha was part of the Railways team that won the Women’s Senior T20 Trophy 2021-22. In 2022, after leaving Railways, she started playing for the Pondicherry Women’s Cricket Team and had a fruitful season and impressed the scouts of the Women’s Super League.
Sri Lanka Cricket Women’s First Class Championship
In 2018, she represented the Chilomarian Cricket Club women’s team in the Sri Lanka Women’s Cricket First Division Championship and was named the best player of the tournament.
Asha Shobana with the Player of the Tournament trophy
women’s premier league
In 2023, she was purchased by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for the inaugural season of the Women’s Premier League (WPL). In the first match against Delhi Capitals, she bowled two balls at an economy of 14.50 and scored two runs, but Radha Yadav got her out after a failed pull attempt. On March 5, 2023, she became the first player from Kerala to participate in the inaugural Women’s Premier League (WPL). She was left out of the playing eleven for the matches against Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Giants.
Asha Shobana celebrates Holi with RCB teammate Heather Knight
salary
In 2023, she was purchased by Royal Challengers Bangalore for Rs. The prize money for the first season of the Women’s Super League will be Rs 10 lakh.
Favorites
- Men’s cricketers (bowlers): Anil Kumble, Shane Warne and Stuart MacGill
- Football Club: Arsenal Football Club
- Singer: Adam Levine and Eminem
- Interests: painting, singing
Facts/Trivia
- She is also known as Asha Sobana Joy.
- She often posts photos of her pet dog Dexter, a golden retriever, on social media.
Asha Shobana celebrates her pet dog’s birthday
- Her jersey number is No. 7.
Asha Shobana’s jersey
- She is an ardent supporter of Arsenal Football Club and in an interview, she revealed that her dream is to watch Arsenal play against Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium in London, England.
Asha Shobana holds the Arsenal flag
- The Kerala Cricket Association sent 15-year-old Asha to the MAC Spin Foundation in Chennai to be trained by former Australian cricketer Terry Jenner (Shaun Warne’s coach). She revealed in an interview that she was the only girl among 15 students and was a little shy at first; then Terry asked her to throw the ball in the net and asked others to throw the ball like her.
- She owns a Volkswagen Polo.
Asha Shobana and her car
- In an interview, she revealed that Shabina Jacob supported and helped her in her initial days as a cricketer.
Asha Shobana and Shabina Jacob (her mentors)
- In January 2012, she was included in India’s 20-man shortlist for the women’s West Indies tour.
- She used to train with Sanju Samson at the Medical College Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. Sanju and Asha are both from Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.
Asha Shobana and Sanju Samson
- In October 2020, she launched her own cricket brand “AV Sports”.
- She has a tattoo on her left upper arm. (Her initials were A, J and 1691)
Asha Shobana’s Tattoo
- She often shares her paintings on social media.
Sketch of Asha Shobana
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education