Cricket personalities

DREAMS COME TRUE

Chandigarh, the cradle of international cricketers like Kapil Dev,

Yograj Singh ,Yuvraj singh , Ashok Malhotra ,Chetan Sharma, Shubhman Gill and Siddharth kaul (the latest entrants to the list),

had given any woman cricketer of repute until Taniya Bhatia burst on the scene.

Just 5 foot one inch she creates history everyday as once the youngest

to play in women senior inter-state tournament & at the age of 11 she

was playing in the under-19 age group for the state.

And now the 20-year-old wicket-keeper-cum-batter, would be part of  the

16-member  Indian women’s cricket team for the three-match ODI series against South Africa in february this year.

For someone who lived for this moment says“It’s a new start for me as I was eagerly waiting for this opportunity for a long time. I had some good seasons earlier but had a low patch in between and missed the Indian team for last year’s World Cup. But being in the probables camp for the World Cup helped my game a lot. Sushma didi is the main wicket-keeper in the team and if I get a chance, I will aim to perform to my best. South Africa has bouncy pitches

and the ball comes hard on the bat. So, I need to practise keeping in mind the conditions in South Africa. We will have a training camp, too, and I will aim for a good performance in the Indian colours,” , who also happens to be the student of BA-II at MCM DAV College for

Women, Sector 36.

Her other big moments include when she recounts how Indian ODI

captain Mithali Raj gave the India cap to her. “I have worked hard to

reach this point, getting the cap from her made it all the more special,”

shared Taniya, who wears jersey No 28, which happens to be her birth

date.

She  is in awe by the England’s Sarah Taylor and Australia’s Alyssa Healy and

dreams of being as good as them behind the stumps. “They are the best.

I watch their videos to learn from them. Tushar Arothe sir

(Indian women’s team coach) too helps me in brushing my wicket-keeping

skills,” says Taniya, who has set her eyes  on the India team for the upcoming

Asia Cup in June.

But all these big dreams has tiny yet strong  roots ,when her cricketer-turned-banker father Sanjay Bhatia first took young Taniya to none other than
India’s World Cup superstar Yuvraj Singh’s father, Yograj Singh, she
realised this was going to be her calling.  

“She is the first woman from Chandigarh to have made it to the India
team. I am sure she will motivate other Chandigarh women cricketers too,”
says her coach RP Singh.

For Tanya the credit is not all her of her coaches or her own but also of her

parents.“In fact, I will give credit of my success to my mother. She is the

one who after doing all the household chores finds time to pick and drop

me from the daily practice. My father also helps me a lot whenever he is

able to find time outof his busy schedule,” Tanya said.

Inspiration @ home, Taniya’s younger brother Sahaj Bhatia, (15),
a student at St Anne’s School, has also taken to the sport and is a budding wicket-keeper-batsman.

Rajni Devi : Cricket my life

Since the Women’s Cricket World Cup 2017 ,there has been a
surge in the budding cricketers who dream big & do big.One
another name from ‘the beautiful city’ after girl in blue Tanya Bhatia,
is 19 year old resident of Bapu Dham Colony Rajni Devi.

Who having played for Punjab U-19 team for six times, has her eyes
 set on Punjab U-23 and senior teams this year and is hoping big to
cement her place.

For her cricket is more than just a game as it, gave meaning and a
perspective to her life also also allows to break the shackles of early
marriage as, after her father who committed suicide,  poverty gripped
her family her brothers were the only one to earn the daily bread & that
to by selling snacks on a ‘rehri’.

And then came free cricketing academy at her school which boosted
her spirit by giving her life a  fresh lease of life and hope,also
developer her cricketing skills. A quick learner within a year she
was playing for Chandigarh ,Punjab & North Zone.

After that she Captained Punjab U-19 team thrice and with the ball all
six seasons & the proud moment of receiving a state award from UT
Administration for leading Chandigarh team to maiden national
school games U-19 cricket title back in 2015.

In Indian team she idolises leg-spinner Poonam Yadav , watching
her on youtube & aspire to walk in her footsteps one day.

And her coach  RP Singh Certainly agrees with her “She has been a
good utility cricketer at the junior level for the state. There is lot of
competition to bag berth in the senior teams. Rajni should aim to
deliver the goods in the inter-district tournaments and make most of
the chances. Age is on her side, so she has nothing to lose.
She should raise the level of her game this season in order to shine.”

Kudos to her big dreams &

                                          we wish her all the best!!

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