Express News Service
CHENNAI: Kanika Ahuja could not wipe the smile off her face at the DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai on Wednesday night. After all, she had just made a match-winning contribution (46 & 2 catches) in Royal Challengers Bangalore’s maiden victory of the Women’s Premier League before attending her first-ever official press conference.
It was not just her who was smiling. Over 1,500 kms away from all the action, the Ahuja household too were celebrating, especially Seema, a proud mother who could not stop clapping and smiling at her daughter’s day in the limelight. At that moment and on the day after as well, her illness — she is battling breast and bone cancer — took a back seat. For, all she could talk about was what Kanika had done against UP Warriorz in the WPL.
“We went to the cancer hospital in Sangrur and just came back. We were there all day for her chemotherapy,” said the Punjab all-rounder’s father Surinder Ahuja on Thursday evening. “She was so happy today (Thursday), without any tension and the chemo also went very smoothly. Otherwise, in every session something or other will be happening, like her blood pressure will go up, we will have to stop the session in between. Today, there was nothing of the sort, she was so happy from her heart and relaxed that her daughter is doing well, it all went well.”
It came as no surprise when Kanika dedicated her performance on Wednesday to her mother. After all, it was her mother who encouraged her to play cricket during her early days. Her family did not even know that women’s cricket existed, Seema kept pushing her daughter to play. She was her support system and there isn’t a day or night that goes by without talking with her mother. “I am playing for her, because she is watching me,” Kanika told the reporters after the match.
For someone who started as a roller skater, cricket came as an accident. When her school team, Sri Aurobindo International School, did not have a couple of players to fill the playing XI, the coach drafted her into the team. She did well and from thereon, cricket became her primary sport. She joined Cricket Hub Academy, where under Kamalpreet Sandhu Kanika started training with boys. At that point, the academy had no girls and at some level, it shaped her competitive edge and confidence.
If one needs a sample, she is someone who does not hesitate to run out batters at the non-striker’s end. Ask Sanjula Naik of Goa who got out to her in the 2021-22 season. In September 2022, she smashed a triple century — 305 n.o (122) 45 fours, 11 sixes — in the Punjab Inter-District One-dayers. On Wednesday, unflustered by the big occasion, she was taking on the likes of Sophie Ecclestone, Deepti Sharma and Devika Vaidya, hitting them to the ropes across the ground.
However, this confidence and skill set did not develop overnight. For eight years, she has been preparing for such moments. “She used to come to the ground early in the morning to train. There will not be much time for her to go back, her grandfather used to bring breakfast. She lives three kilometres away, after the morning session, she will come around 2-3pm and will continue to train till 9 pm. She was always an attacking batter. We practised with Cosco ball, heavy ball, etc. to work on her big hitting. With time her shots and range improved,” Sandhu told this daily.
While playing for India remains her ultimate dream, as someone who doesn’t look too far ahead, Kanika wants to make the most of the opportunities she is getting in the WPL. “This is a great experience as a domestic player to play against international players. If we prepare now, it will help the Indian team ahead,” she signed off.
