Shimla’s Tanuja Kanwar becomes fourth player from Himachal to join Indian women’s cricket team
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MANDI: Shimla girl Tanuja Kanwar has been selected for the Indian women’s cricket team, making it a proud moment for Himachal Pradesh.
Hailing from Kuthar village in Shimla, Tanuja’s selection brings the number of Himachali women in the national cricket team to four. The other three are Sushma Verma (2013), Harleen Deol (2017) and Renuka Singh (2022).
Making waves in Asia Cup
In the ongoing Asia Cup, the duo of Himachal’s star fast bowler Renuka Singh and spin bowler Tanuja Kanwar is drawing attention. In her debut international match at Dambulla Cricket Ground against the UAE, Tanuja impressed by conceding only 14 runs in four overs and taking a crucial wicket.
Renuka, also from Shimla and a teammate of Tanuja in both Himachal and Railways teams, had the honour of presenting Tanuja with the Indian team cap. Reflecting on Tanuja’s remarkable journey, Renuka recounted a memorable match where Tanuja hit a six on the final ball to secure a win. Renuka praised Tanuja’s consistent performance in domestic competitions and her relentless hard work despite occasional disappointments in team selection. This perseverance, Renuka noted, has now borne fruit.
Emotions and celebrations
Tanuja expressed her joy at being selected for the national team, emphasising her coach’s happiness, as he had always dreamed of seeing both players represent India. She also shared her parents’ excitement and became emotional, shedding tears of joy and relief after a long-awaited achievement.
Festivities at Dharamshala stadium
The selection of Tanuja Kanwar was celebrated with great enthusiasm at the HPCA‘s Dharamshala Stadium and Academy. Former Indian team player and DSP Sushma Verma, Academy coach Pawan Singh and other players joined the celebration. They hailed the selection of another girl from Himachal for an international match as a moment of pride and joy, marking the occasion with jubilant festivities.
About Tanuja Kanwar
Known for her left-handed batting and left-arm medium pace bowling, Tanuja Kanwar comes from Shimla. She plays for her state team and has represented India A and India B Women’s teams.
In February 2023, the southpaw made headlines when she was bought by the Gujarat Giants (GG) for a whopping Rs 50 lakh in the inaugural Women’s Premier League (WPL) auction. The 25-year-old was the most expensive uncapped player at the auction.
Tanuja had several notable performances in the past, including a four-wicket haul giving away just 15 runs in the Women’s Emerging Teams Asia Cup 2019 final against Sri Lanka. In the 2021-22 Women’s Senior One-Day Trophy, the left-arm bowler bagged an impressive six-wicket haul decimating Meghalaya.
