Jerrssis Wadia’s explosive cameo for the Adelaide Strikers may have grabbed headlines, but the journey behind his Big Bash opportunity was anything but overnight.
The Mumbai-born allrounder announced himself with a fearless 34 off 16 balls against the Brisbane Heat last Saturday, yet his place in the BBL was earned through years of sacrifice, uncertainty and persistence.
“Financially, it was tough for my parents to support me over here,” Wadia explained on The Surge podcast. “I had to go back and live in India for a couple of years, and then I missed my U19s because of Covid. If you miss that window in India, it becomes really, really tough.”
Faced with a crossroads, Wadia chose the harder path.
“I left everything and came to Australia just for one goal – to play cricket, nothing else,” he said. “My parents weren’t overly happy with the decision. They couldn’t support me financially, but I wanted to come back and express myself here.”
Wadia coached junior cricket to pay rent, travelled everywhere by bus and learned to fend for himself.
“My first two years were really tough,” he admitted. “I always bus with my kitbag everywhere, even now.”
Cricket-wise, the transformation was as mental as it was technical.
“When I first came to Australia, I was really timid,” Wadia said. “It was hard to communicate, hard to make friends. But net-bowling to top players taught me something – it’s not about the shots you have, it’s about being fearless and backing your ability.”
That mindset came to the fore at the Gabba.
“When I went in, it was the Power Surge,” he recalled. “The situation demanded that we put the foot down. I just backed myself. Ball one, ball two – whatever it was – I trusted my ability and went fearless.”
Now qualified as a domestic player, Wadia has secured his spot with the Strikers for BBL|15 – a milestone that reflects more than talent.
“It’s been some journey,” he said. “I don’t want to go back to that life. I’ll just keep working hard, keep learning and keep getting better.”
Photo: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images
