New Delhi, May 4 (IANS) Left-arm spin bowling all-rounder Tanuja Kanwar has termed Radha Yadav’s inclusion in the 2026 Women’s T20 World Cup squad as a ‘big comeback,’ and attributed her selection for the mega event to a ‘massive improvement’ with both bat and ball.
Radha last featured in a T20I during India’s tour of England in 2025, where she picked six wickets as the visitors won both white-ball series. She later found a place in the 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup winning squad. After that, a crowded pool of left‑arm spinners meant Radha wasn’t included for T20I series against Sri Lanka, Australia and South Africa.
But she had a strong time in RCB winning the WPL for the second time – scoring 114 runs in 9 matches, including a knock of 66, though she picked only two wickets. In captaining India A to the Women’s Asia Cup Rising Stars title in Bangkok, Radha made 75 runs with the bat, and picked 10 wickets at five runs per over.
In West Zone becoming runners-up in the Senior Women’s Inter Zonal Multi Day Trophy, Radha made 224 runs in four innings, with a highest score of 108 and took 12 wickets with the ball to be at second place in both batting and bowling charts.
Injuries to seam-bowling all-rounders Amanjot Kaur (back) and Kashvee Gautam (right knee) along with her strong all-round returns ensured Radha was back in squads for the T20 World Cup and preceding three-game series against England.
“I think it was very good. She was selected for the T20 World Cup. I think it was a big comeback as the way she improved her bowling and batting, it was a massive improvement. I also think her captaincy was very good (in the Rising Stars Women’s Asia Cup). I think she handled the hard situations very well and was really good at it,” Tanuja saidexclusively to IANS on the sidelines of the ‘Fancatchstic Chapter 2’ event.
The focus for Tanuja now shifts to preparing for the India ‘A’ tour of England, comprising three 50-over games and as many T20 matches, to be played from June 20 to July 4. Northampton and Chelmsford are venues for T20 games to be played from June 20-25. Hove and Taunton will be host to one-day matches set to be held from June 28 to July 4.
With the BCCI increasing the frequency of shadow tours, Tanuja, who’s played two ODIs and four T20Is for India, noted that the ‘A’ team set-up has become a vital factor in players being prepared to face rigours of international cricket.
“If we talk about a year or two ago, India A women’s team did not have that many matches. Now India A is having matches consistently. I think it is a very big thing as in India A matches, we get to play with the big players and face other huge players.
“There is a level of maturity players get while playing in India A set-up and then become totally prepared to play for the Indian team. So I think it is a very big thing that India A is having matches. I think I am feeling very good. It is the first time we will be playing in England.
“It is I think the first time India A women’s team is going to England. I am feeling very good in thinking about the conditions there, as we have never played in such conditions before. Yes, it will be a little challenging, but we will prepare for it,” she elaborated.
Reflecting on India ‘A’ winning the Rising Stars Women’s Asia Cup earlier this year in Bangkok, Tanuja explained the mental toughness the side showed after suffering a surprise defeat to the UAE in their opening game.
“I think it was a very good feeling. We were the champions in the Emerging Asia Cup before. But when we lost the first match, we were a little disappointed that we were a very good team and we lost a game.
“But we were told that in cricket, this is no issue – one day you lose to a team. But how we have to come back is very important. So I think we applied the same thing in terms of how we have to come back and that’s why we got the trophy,” she said.
The transition from the batter-friendly tracks of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) to the sluggish surfaces of Bangkok tested the squad’s adaptability. For Tanuja, who picked nine wickets in the competition, the key lay in recalibrating her lengths.
“I think the pitches were very slow, so we had to manage that. We went to WPL where the pitches were very good. So it took us some time to see and adapt to the conditions. But later we applied ourselves to the conditions correctly. So it was a very big thing.”
As an all-rounder, Tanuja swears by a ‘practice-first’ philosophy to maintain her stronghold in white-ball cricket. “We try to give our best and do a lot of hardwork in the first practice. We try to bowl and bat as much as we can. So it becomes easier for us in the matches when we try to give our hundred percent in the practice sessions.”
While the India ‘A’ schedule in England is packed, the lure of watching the one-off Test at Lord’s, to be played from July 10-13, is something Tanuja aims to fulfill. “I think the most exciting thing about England is that everyone wants to play at Lord’s. Though we don’t have any matches there, we do have a dream of playing at Lord’s. Yes, if we get a chance, we will definitely go to watch the Test match at Lord’s,” she concluded.
–IANS
nr/bc
