The wicketkeeping community in cricket is a close knit society and everyone has their own idols and inspirations. It is the same thing with Indian women’s team’s keeper Taniya Bhatia who in a conversation with timesnownews.com revealed which wicketkeeper she follows.
Keeping wickets is a very demanding job which requires both physical and mental strength. Since it is also in the best position to have an overall look of the ground, the wicketkeeper is also expected to give valuable inputs to the captain and the players every now and then.
Bhatia, who became the youngest cricketer to have been selected for the senior women’s team of Punjab when she was roped in at the age of 13, talked about her inspiration for taking up wicketkeeping.
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Bhatia revealed that Dhoni has been her inspiration, but she has always been a huge fan of Australian keeper Adam Gilchrist and has even met and interacted with him.
“MS is a big inspiration to me because people, you know, sometimes they say that they see a glimpse of MS in me. There is no point of comparison because I have always looked up to him, I am a huge fan of his hand-eye coordination. But I think it feels great. I mean, it motivates me to work harder. But since childhood, I think it's Adam Gilchrist who has been my inspiration. And I have met him,” she said.
Speaking about meeting her idol Gilchrist, Bhatia recalled the incident and said, “During our first game in the World Cup, I wasn’t aware that he was in the commentary box. Later I got to know. I had previously met him when I was eight or nine. He used to play for Kings XI Punjab, he was practicing. Imagine, he himself came to me and said – hi, how are you? I was shivering but I managed to tell him that even I was a wicketkeeper.”
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“I don’t think he realised during the World Cup that I was the same girl who met him during that time. I think he is not aware but I would love to tell him that I met him as an 8-year-old. After the match against Australia, where I was involved in four dismissals, he came to me and appreciated my wicketkeeping. He said – you were really good. He made my day. I can never forget him appreciating my keeping, it was really memorable,” Bhatia added.
Taniya also shared how she spent time during the country wide lockdown that happened due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
“I didn't expect that it would be this long. I thought I should do something different than my usual routine. So, I introduced myself to yoga as we don't get much time to do it, it also requires a lot of patience, but then later I realized that it actually helps you mentally. My posture became right and my breathing improved. So, these minor and small changes, for me, it was a good difference. So initially I started doing that. I started reading about yoga, so I think it was a good step,” she said.
(with timesnownews.com inputs)
