CHENNAI: When Tanisha Singh went to bed on Wednesday, she was disappointed. The Delhi all-rounder's name did not come up at the Women's Premier League auction and was understandably upset. In her own words, her mood was "off" but she knew that in a few hours, she would be walking out to open the batting for Delhi in the senior women's T20 match against Hyderabad.
Whatever disappointment she felt — Tanisha had gotten out for a first-ball duck while batting in the middle-order during the previous match and then did not get a team at the auction — was put on the back burner when she arrived at the MCA Ground 2, Gahunje, Pune and had pre-match hits. Over the next few hours, she led the charge for Delhi with a 47-ball 119 as the team posted a world record total of 262/6 before beating Hyderabad by 108 runs.
Priya Punia (28-ball 59) and Shweta Sehrawat (8-ball 26) played their part as Delhi broke the record held by Goa (257/2 vs Arunachal Pradesh in 2019-20) for the highest total in a domestic T20 match. Delhi's 262/6 is also 11th highest in all women's T20s with all ten before coming in international cricket.
While batting in the middle, little did they know about the record. All Tanisha and the rest of the Delhi players had in mind was to put on a big total and wrap things up soon against Hyderabad. It was only after the match they got to know about the world record total.
"It feels really good. More than my century, the fact that our team won is what matters most. We let the other teams know that we are scoring such massive totals, which is a great thing," Tanisha told this daily after the match.
"Regarding the WPL, obviously, there was disappointment. But life is such that you have to keep moving forward. I didn't carry that feeling into the next day. I batted well in the pre-match session, and then translated that feeling into the match. It felt incredible to know we achieved that record," she added.
Posting big totals and playing the aggressive brand of cricket is something Delhi women have been consciously trying to apply. Head coach Deepti Dhyani had spoken about it in the team meetings and Tanisha knew the target was to get at least 50 runs. When she got a no ball up front and pulled it for a boundary, the 23-year-old went into a zone and did not look back.
"Over the last three years, Delhi has been performing exceptionally well in batting. That performance stems from players getting used to playing a certain way on a good wicket where the ball doesn't move much, it's flat, and the outfield is fast, where singles are replaced by fours and sixes, resulting in fewer dot balls. If Tanisha, Shweta, and everyone together win the trophy, that in itself becomes a loud statement. So we don't discuss it (WPL) too much during the tournament," Deepti told this daily.
Meanwhile, for the 23-year-old, the biggest turning point of her career came when she was picked for the India A team. Tanisha was a part of the A teams that toured England earlier this year and then played Australia A at home last month. Sharing dressing room with India players and watching them go about their routines came as a massive learning for the youngster.
Tanisha also credited former cricketer Dishant Yagnik, with whom she has been working. "Since I played for India A, I have become very serious about my routine. My gym work, skill training, sleep schedule, and diet have become very strict. In India A, our seniors and our coach, Apurva (Desai) sir backed me up a lot. I was watching the senior players' routine. Their performance, whether it was good or bad, they were in the gym the next day. I got to know how disciplined they are.
"The environment also made a big difference. When there are so many inspirational and supportive seniors in front of you, the performance itself starts coming out if you want to do it. I took these small things, which are very big, and I'm able to see the difference in my life."
"Dishant sir has a huge role in this because my skill development credits go to him. Even when I feel down - like after the first match where I got out for zero - he always backed me, saying 'no problem, you will do it in the next match'. Those things kept happening naturally," said Tanisha.
DPL influence
Both the coach and the all-rounder credited the Delhi and District Cricket Association's state women's league — Delhi Premier League — for the exposure and chance to play in televised matches. Tanisha called it a "fantastic platform" for cricketers to learn on and off the field.
"It gives opportunities to everyone — even those who might not always get regular chances in domestic cricket due to a large squad. It gave me a great platform to showcase my game. In DPL, we learned how to read match situations, choose when to attack, and gain vital media exposure through live TV broadcasts. While domestic matches can sometimes bring anxiety about how you are performing on camera, the regular exposure from DPL makes handling that pressure much easier, allowing us to play with complete confidence," said the all-rounder.
Coach Deepti credited the tournament for the confidence it gave the players. "The platform we got from DPL changed our approach. DPL provides us proper wickets and day-night matches, which are very rare in women's domestic cricket. Once that approach shifts, playing regular domestic cricket becomes much easier. The support of the DPL is the main reason why we are performing so well in U23, U19, and even at the senior level," Deepti said.
Brief scores: Delhi 262/6 in 20 ovs (Tanisha 119, Priya 59) bt Hyderabad 154/8 in 20 ovs (Trisha 80, Sumiti 3/28).