Comparison inspires me to work harder, says India gloveswoman Taniya Bhatia

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Comparison inspires me to work harder, says India gloveswoman Taniya Bhatia

Taniya Bhatia. © The Bridge.

Ask a bunch of young wicketkeepers who they want to be like while growing up, most of the answers would be former India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Women’s national team ’keeper Taniya Bhatia is also no different as the Chandigarh-born even had the privilege to be compared to her idol last year.



In the women’s IPL in 2019, Bhatia effected a stumping off a Sophie Devine delivery to India teammate Veda Krishnamurthy which was immediately showcased as ‘Dhoni Style’. Soon the video clip of the stumping went viral in social media.



“Actually last year during the women’s IPL, I had effected a stumping while Sophie Devine was bowling. It was my favourite moment and a friend of mine had sent a screenshot saying ‘This is Dhoni style’,”

Taniya Bhatia was quoted as saying to The Indian Express. “There is absolutely no comparison but it is flattering when people say they can see a glimpse of him in me. In fact, it inspires me to work harder. I look up to him and his hand-eye co-ordination is admirable,” said the 22-year-old.







Bhatia came into the limelight when she was selected for India A at the age of 16 before making her senior India debut in 2018. The pint-sized wicketkeeper has already played in 15 ODIs and 50 T20Is and is considered as one of the future prospects in the coming years. Apart from Dhoni, Bhatia is a big fan of another legend – former Australian wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist.



“Adam Gilchrist was my idol while growing up. I was in class 8 when I met him while he was playing for Kings XI Punjab in the IPL. KXIP were having a practice session and he was kind enough to come up and talk to me,” she recounted about her meeting with Gilchrist.



Wicket-keeping runs in her veins as she is inspired by her father, Sanjay Bhatia in this respect. “My father Sanjay Bhatia was a wicketkeeper and was a reserve player for Punjab and my uncle was also a wicket-keeper. I guess it is in the blood. Since I was eight years old I was inclined towards keeping,” she said about her father.



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Although Bhatia couldn’t do much with the bat, she had a fabulous time behind the stumps at the T20 World Cup earlier this year, including a stellar performance in the tournament opener against Australia where she effected four dismissals. Despite India finishing runners-up against the Australians, Bhatia said the team have got better at handling different situations.



“In the last 12 to 14 months, we have improved a lot as a unit. We’re in a really positive position. We’ve been playing well and I think we’ve got a lot better as a team and can work out how to handle and read situations well,” she said.



On the final which was held at a packed Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), Bhatia said, “To be honest, when I entered the MCG it was a blur. But I knew it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I wanted to savour the moment. The 86,000-plus crowd got me pumped up and I really enjoyed each moment.”
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