Strokeful Wonder

CHANDIGARH: A booming straight drive went screaming past RP Singh’s right leg and the Punjab women’s team coach had to quickly skip a step so that he didn’t get hit. At the other end, batting, was Taniya Bhatia. A 19-year-old demure girl from Chandigarh, who set the women’s Challenger Trophy this year on fire with her daredevil strokeplay.

The venue was IS Bindra PCA Stadium in

Mohali

and the women’s team camp for 28 of the best Punjab players was going on, under the watchful eyes of Singh.

‘RP sir’ as he is addressed by most of his wards – including the 28 girls – gave his definite attention on Taniya.

According to him, “Taniya is on the cusp of playing for the national team.”

“She will don the national team jersey by the end of this year. I am confident that she’ll be big name in the coming years,” Singh states, with a glint in his eye.

Aggressive style

Taniya’s personality is a total paradox of the way she bats. With a bat in hand, she is one of the most destructive batswomen in India (not just Punjab); however, off-the-field, she is quiet, she is reserved, and she keeps to herself. It is very difficult to make Taniya talk about herself.

By the way, she is also a wicketkeeper and missed out on world cup selection narrowly, as the national selectors preferred the more experienced Sushma Verma for the marquee event.

Taniya looks up to the swashbuckling Harmanpreet Kaur, and in the men’s team her favourite is Virat Kohli. She watches a lot of their videos. It’s the passion of the two K’s that strikes out for her. “I love the attitude and competitive nature of these two cricketers on the field. It is not arrogance, it’s just passion,” Taniya reflects.

“I am a stroke player, I like to hit the ball. And, these two players have a similar style. I try to imbibe their good qualities,” she adds.

Early life
Taniya, in her late teens, learnt her early cricket lessons at the DAV Senior Secondary School Academy in Sector 8. Yograj Singh was her first coach.

“I started playing cricket when I was just 8, under Yogi paa’s (Yograj Singh) guidance. He was a very hard task master. He helped me become disciplined in both life as well as the sport,” specifies Taniya.

Mother Sapna Bhatia also played a pivotal role in shaping her career.

“My mother has been a pillar of strength. My father, Sanjay Bhatia, is a general manager with Central Bank of India and has had to travel a lot because of his job. Therefore, since the time I got enrolled into the DAV academy, my mother came with me for my practice sessions every day,” Taniya recollects.

“She, herself, is a huge cricket fan and also introduced me to the sport,” she adds.

Extraordinary talent

RP Singh rates Taniya highly. “She is an extraordinary talent. Selectors should groom her for the next world cup,” says Singh. Taniya was part of the national team camp, before the Women’s World Cup. She was kept as a standby wicketkeeper for the tournament.

“She has been knocking at the Indian team’s door for the past two years,” Singh voices. Satbir Singh, the fitness coach at PCA, is amazed with the amount of work Taniya has put to improve her fitness levels in the last two years. “I have been working with PCA for the past seven years, and I have never seen this kind of do or die attitude in anyone. She is ready do go to any extent,” asserts Satbir.

“I think the national camp and her stint with the

National Cricket Academy

has helped her a lot,” he quickly adds.

The Indian team’s inspiring performance during the world cup has also given Taniya recognition among her peers and relatives. “Suddenly everyone is talking about women’s cricket. It feels really good that people ask about me and my performance,” Taniya says.

The national camp was really helpful and had a great impact on her cricketing skills. “I have played a lot of cricket in the last 10 years for Punjab. I think my hard work should translate into positive results now. I have set certain goals, and wish to achieve a few of them this year,” the reticent girl adds.

What next?

Her ultimate dream is to be a part of the national team and represent the country for a considerable length of time.

“I want to wear that blue jersey. I am striving for excellence, nothing less,” Taniya asserts.

While several male cricketers, like Kapil Dev, Ashok Malhotra, Yograj Singh, Chetan Sharma, Dinesh Mongia and Yuvraj Singh, have emerged from Chandigarh and gone on to play for the country with distinction, no female cricketer has ever managed to do so. Taniya has the brightest chance of becoming the first.


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