Who is G Kamalini? – All you need to know about Mumbai Indians' young batting sensation

Mumbai Indians Women splurge INR 1.60 crore for the upcoming youngster Gunalan Kamalini. She hails from Tamil Nadu and is poised to feature for India in the upcoming Under 19 World Cup in Malaysia She grabbed eyeballs for her impeccable batting in the U-19 domestic tournament for Tamil Nadu in October, where her team emerged victorious. 

She scored 311 runs across eight matches. Subsequently she scored 79 in the Under-19 tri-series final for India B against South Africa A. Thanks to the knock, she got a chance to feature in India's squad for the Under-19 Asia Cup next week. She has trained in the Super Kings Academy, the training centre created by Indian Premier League Franchise, Chennai Super Kings. Apart from batting, Kamalini is also part time bowler and bowls spin. 

“I’d no idea she had interest in cricket. And nobody has taught her how to bowl. But she just did it in her first attempt, she had a knack,” Kamalini’s father had told Indian Express in a recent interaction. 

“Kamalini is what you call a natural talent. Everything comes so easily to her and that’s how she has been able to convert into a wicketkeeper within six months. She has the drive and the hard work. We have seen a lot of girls just fizzle out after a point. But she is going to stay here for long,” said former Tamil Nadu cricketer and Kamalini’s mentor, Aarti Sankaran.

Speaking of MI, they entered the auction with a purse of INR 2.65 crore and they splurged more than half of it on the Tamil Nadu batter. They even bought South Africa’s Nadine de Klerk in a steal deal for just  INR 30 lakh.