• Home
  • Player Stories
  • Who Is Tanuja Kanwer Left Arm Spinner Who Made Her Odi Debut For India In 3Rd Odi Vs Wi

Who Is Tanuja Kanwer? Left-Arm Spinner Who Made Her ODI Debut For India In 3rd ODI vs WI

Tanuja Kanwer made her ODI debut [Source: @BCCIWomen/x.com]Tanuja Kanwer made her ODI debut [Source: @BCCIWomen/x.com]

What a day it has been for 26-year-old Tanuja Kanwer. The left-arm spinner from a small village in Himachal Pradesh finally lived her dream as she made her ODI debut for India Women against West Indies Women in Vadodara on Friday.

Who Is Tanuja Kanwer?

The series may be wrapped up already, but for Tanuja Kanwer, this was the moment she’s been waiting for all her life. Her story starts in Kuthar, a small village in Shimla where cricket wasn’t really a thing for girls.

Most of them played volleyball or kabaddi, but Tanuja was out there playing cricket with a ball made out of cloth, smashing it around with her cousins. Her dad, a farmer, noticed how serious she was and decided to back her all the way.

Her family made the bold move to send her to a cricket academy in Dharamsala, even though it wasn’t the usual thing for girls in their village. That’s where she found her groove. Her coach, Pawan Sen, saw her potential and turned her into a proper all-rounder.


From Railways to WPL Stardom

Tanuja made heads turn when she joined the Railways team. In the Senior Women’s One-Day Trophy, she took 18 wickets in just eight matches with a sensational economy of 2.43.

Then came the Women’s Premier League (WPL), where Gujarat Giants snapped her up for ₹50 lakh. In 2023, she had a decent season, but 2024 was her year. She finished as the top wicket-taker for the Giants, grabbing 10 wickets in eight games. Her spell against Meg Lanning’s Capitals—2/20—proved she’s not afraid of the big stage.

Kanwar made her T20I debut for India Women against UAE in the 2024 Women’s Asia Cup on 21 July 2024. From playing in the lanes of Kuthar with makeshift balls to wearing the Indian jersey, Tanuja’s journey is proof of what hard work and belief can do.

This is just the beginning for Tanuja. She’s got the skills to become a regular in the Indian team.