It was a day to remember for Tamil Nadu’s 16-year-old wicketkeeper G Kamalini. In the first half on Sunday, she scored 44 off 29 balls at a strike rate of 151.72 with four fours and three sixes against Pakistan in the ACC Women’s U19 Asia Cup 2024 at Beyumas Cricket Oval, Kuala Lumpur. In the second half of the day, she was picked up by Mumbai Indians for Rs 1.60 in the Women’s Premier League auction.
The Camilini Show 🌪️ 🔥
Pakistan didn’t know what hit them #TeamIndia Journey to victory in yourself #ACCWomensU19AsiaCup Opener 💨#SonySportsNetwork #NewHomeOfAsiaCup #NextGenBlue #INDvPAK
(India vs Pakistan, Women’s Asia Cup, T20 Cricket) pic.twitter.com/F3ms3d3pBo
— Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) December 15, 2024
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Interestingly, Kamlini’s journey to MI is through Chennai Super Kings, as the IPL franchise offered him a chance to train at their academy after moving to the city from Madurai. CSK, of course, is not a team in the WPL.
Aarti Sankaran, former Tamil Nadu cricketer and National Cricket Academy-certified coach, mentors Kamalini. “What you call a natural talent. Everything comes easily to her and that’s how she managed to turn into a wicketkeeper within 6 months. She has drive and hard work. We have seen many girls drop out after a point. But she will be here for a long time, ” Aarti recently told The Indian Express.
See: Kamalini’s Journey
In 2020, a day after the Covid lockdown came into force, Kamalini’s father Gunalan was practicing cricket with his son Kishore. Unexpectedly, his 12-year-old daughter picked up a cricket ball and bowled effortlessly. To Gunalan’s surprise, Kamalini had never shown any interest in cricket before and had no formal training, her initial interest being in skating. He realized that he had a natural talent for sports. Recognizing his natural talent, he and his wife Saranya decided to invest in his cricket career.
Read more: Rise and Rise of Kamalini
Despite initial doubts and challenges, they moved from Madurai to Chennai to provide Kamalini with better training opportunities. With Gunalan’s dedicated coaching and the help of the Chennai Super Kings Academy, Kamalini’s skills improved rapidly. She was selected for the Tamil Nadu U-19 team and has since achieved significant achievements including being named the Tamil Nadu Women’s Cricketer of the Year.
In a video published by the CSK YouTube channel, charting Kamlini’s journey, her family also spoke about the tough times she faced when her father underwent heart surgery. A day after visiting her father in the hospital, who scored a century against Andhra Pradesh, she said she was moved to tears when she heard the news.
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