India, Oct. 3 -- F or Vadodara-based cricketer Shivalik Sharma, 27, the past two years have tested him far beyond the cricket field. His former fiancee had filed an FIR accusing him of establishing physical relations with her on a false promise of marriage. Sharma was arrested in May 2024 and spent around 20 days in judicial custody before securing bail. The Rajasthan High Court recently quashed the FIR and consequential proceedings. "When I first found out (about rape charges), I was shocked. I wondered how someone could do this simply out of revenge," says Sharma. "But I never thought my life was over. You always have that hope that if you have not done anything wrong, you'll eventually come out of it." The days in custody, he says, remain difficult to forget. "Those 20 days cannot be forgotten. The atmosphere was completely negative. It felt like I had been taken to another planet where you cannot get out." Sharma says faith helped him hold on. "Somewhere, hope stuck with me since I knew ki agar aap sachche ho toh bhagwaan raasta dikhate hain (If you are true, God helps you find a way out). It may take time, but eventually it works out." The relationship began in 2023 and the couple got engaged in August that year. Sharma alleges that disagreements over money and living arrangements eventually led to the engagement being called off, following which the woman approached the police. The case also affected his cricketing career. "My career suffered a little and I went on the back foot, but I believe that when you go on the back foot in life, your comeback can be even stronger." He credits cricketers Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Kiran More, teammates, neighbours and family, including his brother-in-law and lawyer Brijesh Yadav, for standing by him. With the case now quashed, Sharma says his focus is back on cricket....