Latest news with #Shuchi
India Today
12-06-2025
- Sport
- India Today
Radha Yadav replaces injured Shuchi Upadhyay in India squad for England tour
Radha Yadav is set to make her return to the India Women's squad as an injury replacement for Shuchi Upadhyay ahead of the team's upcoming tour of England. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed the change in a statement released on Thursday. A T20 specialist, Yadav rejoins the national side after missing out on recent international to the BCCI, Shuchi was ruled out after sustaining a left shin injury during the pre-tour camp held at the Centre of Excellence (COE) in tour of England is scheduled to begin on 28 June, comprising five T20 Internationals and three One-Day Internationals. Radha last featured in international cricket in December 2024, where she impressed with a four-wicket haul against West Indies at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai. However, she saw limited game time in the 2025 edition of the Women's Premier League, featuring in just two comes in as a like-for-like replacement for Shuchi. The left-arm spinner has made 84 T20I appearances for India, although her involvement in the ODI format has been limited to just seven Shuchi had made her debut during the recent tri-series against South Africa and Sri Lanka but featured in only one match, going wicketless while conceding 59 runs in nine overs. Prior to that, she delivered a strong domestic season in the Senior Women's One-Day Trophy, finishing as the third-highest wicket-taker with 18 scalps for Madhya remains to be seen how swiftly the 20-year-old can recover and work her way back into national Indian women's team heads into the England tour on the back of a successful tri-series campaign in Sri Lanka, where they defeated the hosts by 97 runs in the final held in T20I Squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Smriti Mandhana (vice-capt), Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (WK), Yastika Bhatia (WK), Harleen Deol, Deepti Sharma, Sneh Rana, Sree Charani, Amanjot Kaur, Arundhati Reddy, Kranti Gaud, Sayali Satghare, Radha YadavIndia's ODI Squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), Smriti Mandhana (vice-capt), Pratika Rawal, Harleen Deol, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (WK), Yastika Bhatia (WK), Tejal Hasabnis, Deepti Sharma, Sneh Rana, Sree Charani, Amanjot Kaur, Arundhati Reddy, Kranti Gaud, Sayali Satghare, Radha Yadav
Time of India
10-06-2025
- Science
- Time of India
From secret NDA exam during sister's wedding to India's first man on ISS: Shubhanshu Shukla's incredible journey
As Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla gets ready to become the first Indian to visit the International Space Station ( ISS ) on Wednesday, a childhood story from Lucknow shows how determined he has always been. As per a TOI report, in December 2001, during his elder sister Shuchi Shukla's wedding, young Shubhanshu went missing for several hours. His family became worried, and his father, Shambhu Dayal Shukla, was angry at what he thought was careless behaviour. Later that day, Shubhanshu returned on his bicycle, tired but calm. He simply said, 'Now, tell me what to do.' He had secretly gone to take the National Defence Academy ( NDA ) exam. His inspiration? An Indian Air Force (IAF) airshow at Bakshi-ka-Talab that he had seen earlier. Play Video Pause Skip Backward Skip Forward Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration 0:00 Loaded : 0% 0:00 Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 1x Playback Rate Chapters Chapters Descriptions descriptions off , selected Captions captions settings , opens captions settings dialog captions off , selected Audio Track default , selected Picture-in-Picture Fullscreen This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Text Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Caption Area Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Drop shadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. His sister Shuchi, now a teacher in Lucknow, remembers that day clearly. 'Gunjan, that's his nickname, was 14 when the Kargil War happened. It had a deep impact on him,' she says. 'Two years later, he quietly took an NDA form from a friend and applied without telling anyone. We only found out the truth after he passed the exam.' Their father, a retired government officer, had scolded him at the time. But now, he is full of pride. 'We are proud of Gunjan, not just as a family, but as Indians,' he says from their home in Triveni Nagar. 'His posters are everywhere. We are all praying for his success.' Live Events Shubhanshu joined the IAF as a fighter pilot in June 2006. He became a Fighter Combat Leader and Test Pilot, flying more than 2,000 hours in jets like the Su-30 MKI, MiG-21, MiG-29, Jaguar, and Hawk. His mother Asha was worried when he said he wanted to become an astronaut. 'She told him to stay on Earth,' laughs Shuchi. But just like with the NDA exam, he quietly applied for ISRO's Gaganyaan Mission without telling his family. Now 39, Shubhanshu is the youngest of three siblings. His other sister Nidhi has an MBA degree. His wife Kamna is a dentist, and they have a six-year-old son named Kiash. He is the first person from their family to join the armed forces. At home, he rarely talks about work. Shuchi remembers that during the 2019 Balakot airstrike, the family couldn't reach him for a few days. When she finally spoke to him, she asked if he was involved. He simply replied, 'Let it be, Didi. Let's talk about something else.' His family is proud of his calm nature and strong focus. 'From NDA to Gaganyaan, Gunjan never changed his mind,' says Shuchi. His father adds, 'He is ready for this mission. He always does his duty perfectly.' Now, as Shubhanshu prepares for Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) to the ISS, supported by ISRO's Rs 500 crore project, his family in Lucknow watches with pride. "The boy who once cycled back from his NDA exam, inspired by the roar of fighter jets, is now carrying India's hopes into space," says Shuchi. Inputs from TOI
Time of India
09-06-2025
- Science
- Time of India
Axiom Mission 4: How Shubhanshu Shukla sneaked out during sister's vidai to secretly appear in NDA exam
LUCKNOW: As Group Captain prepares to become the first Indian to visit the International Space Station (ISS) on Wednesday, a story from his youth in Lucknow reveals the quiet resolve that shaped India's space icon. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now In the chilly winter of December 2001, during his elder sister Shuchi Shukla's wedding, teenage Shubhanshu vanished for hours, leaving his family anxious and his father Shambhu Dayal Shukla furious over his apparent irresponsibility. Exhausted, the boy returned on his bicycle, saying only, "Now, tell me what to do." His secret? He had sneaked away to take the National Defence Academy (NDA) exam, inspired by an (IAF) airshow at Bakshi-ka-Talab. Shuchi, now a private school teacher in Lucknow, recalls the day vividly. "Gunjan—that's his pet name—was 14, when the Kargil War stirred him," she says. "Two years later, he borrowed an NDA form from a friend and applied without telling us. It was only after clearing the exam that he revealed why he disappeared during my vidai." Their father, a retired joint secretary from the UP secretariat, scolded him then but now beams with pride. "We're proud of Gunjan, not just as a family but as Indians," says his dad from their Triveni Nagar home. "His posters are everywhere, and we pray for his mission's success." Commissioned into the IAF's fighter stream on June 17, 2006, he became a Fighter Combat Leader and Test Pilot with over 2,000 hours of flying experience on aircraft like Su-30 MKI, MiG-21, MiG-29, Jaguar, and Hawk. His ambition to become an astronaut, sparked by the IAF airshow, initially alarmed his mother Asha. "She told him to stay on Earth," Shuchi says. Yet, Shubhanshu quietly enrolled for the , keeping it from family, just as he did with the NDA exam. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Now 39, Shubhanshu is the youngest of three siblings, with sisters Nidhi, an MBA graduate, and Shuchi. Married to Kamna, a dentist, he's a father to six-year-old son Kiash, and the first in his family to join the defence forces. At home, he's reserved about work. Shuchi recalls the Balakot airstrike in 2019, when Shubhanshu was unreachable for days. "I asked if he was involved, but he just said, 'Let it be, Didi, talk about something else,'" she shares. Shuchi marvels at Shubhanshu's clarity of purpose. "From NDA to Gaganyaan, Gunjan never wavered," she says. His dad adds, "He's ready for this mission. He always performs perfectly." As Shubhanshu gears up for the Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) to the ISS, backed by ISRO's Rs 5 billion investment, his family in Lucknow watches with pride. "The boy who cycled back from the NDA entrance exam, fuelled by an airshow's roar, now carries India's hopes to the stars," adds Shuchi.
Time of India
16-05-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
MP's Kranti, Shuchi earn India call-up for Eng tour
1 2 3 Indore: Madhya Pradesh's rising cricket stars Kranti Goud and Shuchi Upadhyay have been named in the Indian women's squad for the upcoming T20 and ODI series against England, scheduled from June 28 to July 22. The selection marks Shuchi's second national call-up and a continued run for Kranti, who recently made her international debut. Kranti Goud, 22, hails from Ghaurha village in Chhatarpur district. A promising pacer, she was a net bowler during the Women's Premier League (WPL) 2024 and is among the key picks for WPL 2025. Known for her consistent performances across various age categories for the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association (MPCA), Kranti made her international debut against Sri Lanka earlier this month, stepping in for the injured Kashvee Gautam. Speaking to TOI, Kranti expressed her excitement about the England tour. "It was a proud moment to represent India against Sri Lanka. Being selected again for the England tour is an honour. I'm focused on giving my best and making the most of the opportunity. The support from my teammates, coaches, and the MPCA has been incredible," she said. Kranti's cricket journey began in 2016 when she started playing with boys in her village. Initially helping them retrieve balls, she was soon invited to join their team in tennis ball matches. Her breakthrough came when she filled in for an injured player in a leather ball game, which led to her selection for district trials and eventually the state team. Joining her in the Indian squad is 19-year-old Shuchi Upadhyay from Mandla, who has received her second national call-up after being part of the squad for the Sri Lanka series. Although she didn't get a chance to debut, Shuchi is determined to make her mark in the England tour. "It was a great experience being with the Indian team for the first time. I learnt a lot from the seniors. My aim now is to stay consistent and confident for the England tour," said Shuchi. Shuchi's journey started on the dusty pitches of Ramleela Maidan in Navghat, Mandla, where she played gully cricket with boys due to the absence of facilities for girls. She later received formal training at Mekal Cricket Academy and soon emerged as a standout spinner, even participating in men's tournaments. The MPCA shared the news of their selection on its official social media platforms, congratulating both players. MPCA Joint Secretary Siddyani Patni told TOI, "This achievement is a reflection of the hard work and top-tier training sessions we've been conducting for both women's and men's teams together. MP's women cricketers have been among the best in the country for the past three years, and national selectors have begun to take notice. With continued performance, these girls have the potential to achieve great heights."
