It has been a rollercoaster ride so far, says Taniya Bhatia
Chandigarh’s first woman cricketer to represent the national team Taniya Bhatia said that her journey to the senior team has been one hell of a ride. Bhatia, aged 21, is eager to impress in national colors as they will face-off against New Zealand in the three ODI and T20I series away from home.
Taniya Bhatia was just 20 when she made her debut for the Indian senior women’s cricket team back on 13th February 2018. Now, a year and 25 T20Is and three ODIs later, the young lady from Chandigarh has become a mainstay in the Indian team under the leadership of Mithali Raj and Harmanpreet Kaur.Â
She has no plans of going anywhere, anytime soon, as she revealed in a recent interview with Times of India. Bhatia said her journey from the streets of Chandigarh to becoming the first woman from the city to represent the state has been one hell of a ride.
"It has been a rollercoaster ride. I have made it to the Indian team but it now I have to be consistent. To be part of the national side was my ultimate dream now I want to represent my country for a long time," Bhatia told TOI.
Bhatia, still aged 21, gave credit to ODI skipper Mithali Raj for helping her settle into the national set-up so quickly. The young wicket-keeper also announced that she was eager to prove herself in the upcoming New Zealand tour.
"I was nervous and emotional when Mithali di (ODI captain Mithali Raj) gave me the Indian cap. It took me a couple of games to settle those nerves. One too shy for a wicketkeeper, I have become more expressive in these 12 months and started talking a lot from behind the stumps, thanks to senior players in the slip cordon who'd egg me on: 'Say shabash (bravo) at least.
"It's a challenging tour for wicketkeepers. But we are going there a week in advance to get acclimatised to the weather. I am up for the challenge," Bhatia added.