On two occasions, Chandigarh all-rounder Kashvee Gautam was in the headlines, causing ripples in cricket circles. First, during the 2019-20 domestic season when she claimed all 10 wickets in an innings in BCCI Women’s U-19 One Day Trophy against Arunachal Pradesh, becoming the first Indian cricketer capture all the wickets in limited-overs game.
The second was when she became the most expensive uncapped player in Women’s Premier League (WPL) auction after being sold to Gujarat Giants (GG) for ₹2 crore from a base price of ₹10 lakh.
She was over the moon and so was her family in Chandigarh. However, the 20-year-old was preparing for WPL 2 when she suffered a stress fracture in her left foot in the last week of December. That sidelined her from the ongoing BCCI Women’s U-23 One Day Trophy here and has rendered her doubtful for WPL 2 starting on February 23.
“I was gutted to pick up the injury and miss the U-23 meet. I am still on the recovery path; I should be fit to play when I join GG in Bengaluru. The GG physio has been monitoring my recovery,” said Kashvee, who will join the other GG pacers Meghna Singh, Scotland’s Kathryn Bryce, Australia’s Lauren Cheatle and Shabnam Shakil.
Recently, BCCI recognised Kashvee’s 10-wicket haul, awarding her the Jagmohan Dalmiya Trophy for the Best Woman Cricketer Junior Domestic for 2019-20. Kashvee is also known for her power-hitting abilities in the middle-order. Mentored by former India skipper Mithali Raj, GG last season gave a below average performance to finished last in the table.
The choices they made during the last WPL auction flopped in the tournament.
“I have worked very hard on my batting as well. T20 cricket is all about going after the bowlers and hitting the ball hard. I am aiming to give it my best shot when I regain fitness and join the side. Rubbing shoulders with international cricketers can help me greatly,” said Kashvee, who was not picked in the last WPL auction ahead of the inaugural season.
Kashvee was part of the India emerging U-23 team which won the Asia Emerging Women’s Cup in Hong Kong last year. Nooshin-Al-Khadeer. head coach of that team, is also part of the GG support staff.
A trainee of coach Nagesh Gupta, Kashvee is inspired by her friend and fellow trainee Amanjot Kaur, an all-rounder who is in the Indian team and plays for WPL defending champions Mumbai Indians.
“Amanjot’s surge to the top has been inspiring. She has been very supportive and a guiding force. Our coach has been working tirelessly on our game. I do realise the importance of WPL as a platform. Some cricketers have made it to the Indian team through WPL success,” added Kashvee, who idolises pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
India women would be eyeing success in the T20 World Cup to be in Bangladesh in June. A good performance for GG in WPL could put Kashvee in contention.
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