"Excited to be part of Gujarat Giants, have worked on my range hitting": Kashvee Gautam after WPL auction

Seam bowler Kashvee Gautam (20), who can also wield the long handle, became India's most expensive uncapped player at the TATA WPL 2024 Auctions in Mumbai on Saturday after Gujarat Giants paid Rs 2 crore for her services. JioCinema WPL experts Aakash Chopra and Reema Malhotra spoke to Kashvee and her parents about the rapid turn of events.

Kashvee is a right-arm seamer from Chandigarh who was unsold during the last WPL auction. She took a ten-wicket haul, including a hat-trick in an ODI game for Chandigarh against Arunachal Pradesh at the women's domestic Under-19 competition. She was then called up to the Women's T20 Challenge, the predecessor of WPL.

During the Senior Women's T20 Trophy tournament, she took 12 wickets in seven games at an economy of 4.14. In June, she was also part of India's triumphant Under-23 squad at the ACC Emerging tournament in Hong Kong. Recently, she played two games during the A series, picking up three wickets for India A.

On being bought by GG for Rs two crore, Kashvee, "I am very excited to be a part of Gujarat Giants. It is quite unbelievable at the moment. I was travelling in the team bus after practice and was informed about the auction by a teammate. The amount kept rising and I was selected."

Kashvee is excited to work with Mithali.

"It is a huge opportunity for me to showcase my skills. We have always looked up to Mithali ji. It is a great opportunity for me to interact with her and seek tips from her," said Kashvee.

Kashvee said that she called her coach when she got the news about her being picked up by Gujarat.

Kashvee said that she learned from the inaugural season that the teams need to be more impactful in lower-middle-order batting and she also needs to be able to bowl well with both new and old balls.

"I think teams need to be more impactful in the lower middle order batting. They need to accelerate in the last 3-4 overs, so I have practised accordingly. I have worked on range hitting. I have to be flexible with my bowling, to be able to bowl well with both the new and old balls," she said.

Kashvee said that taking wickets of Australian skipper Alyssa Healy and West Indies all-rounder Hayley Matthews.

On her ambitions to play for Team India, Kashvee said, "I have to give my 100 per cent for Gujarat Giants. If I do well there, I think I can be selected from there."

Kashvee said that all credit goes to her parents.

"As of now, it feels unbelievable. I did not know how to react after I got the news and was wondering what was going on. All the credit for what I am goes to my parents. I think I will add a chain to my collection first!," said Kashvee.

Aakash and Reema also talked to her parents.

Kashvee's father said about her selection in the Gujarat Giants team, "Kashvee has worked really hard for this. The last season did not go well for her, but this time she really worked very hard and hopefully, she will do well for Gujarat Titans."

Kashvee's mother said that her daughter started playing when she was 13 and they trusted her hard work. She also said that Kashvee was a good student. She also wished that her daughter would play for Team India someday.

"She began playing cricket from the age of 13 and what you see today is the result of her hard work. We always trusted her hard work and will continue doing so in the future. She is also a very good student and always scores above 90 per cent. She is a second-year student at Khalsa College and manages her time very well. The aggression you see in her is restricted only to the field of play. At home, she is very cool and calm. She is of a reserved nature. Our dream is to see her play for India one day," said Kashvee. (ANI)