Teenage sensation G Kamalini made a historic feat of her own on this Tuesday as she received her maiden India cap from the country’s skipper, Harmanpreet Kaur, making her the 90th woman to don the Indian colours in the T20 Internationals. This marked the start of her maiden stint as a senior international player as she made her debut against Sri Lanka during the fifth and final T20I match at the Greenfield International Stadium.Early life Kamalini Gunalan was born on 20 July 2008 in Madurai, Tamil Nadu. She has a very close-knit family, where her father Gunalan runs his own transport company. Moreover, Saranya, her mom, has always supported Kamalini in pursuing a life in sports. Kamalini also had a brother by the name Dominic Kishore, the commemoration for whom she uses today as the number on the national team jersey.Kamini’s involvement with sports came at an early age, and she initially received recognition not only in cricket but also as a state-level skating champion. She began playing cricket at the age of 12, having been encouraged by her father, who noticed her natural aptitude for the game. Cricketing journey and breakthroughKamalini is a left-handed wicketkeeper-batter who can bowl leg-spin, adding to her utility value in all formats. Having honed her cricketing skills at Super Kings Cricket Academy in Chennai, she received coaching to sharpen her games and groom her talent since her young days. She first won hearts of the fans with her remarkable performances in Under-19 domestic cricket, scoring 311 runs in eight matches and being top-scorer with 79 in the Under-19 tri-series final for India B against South Africa A. In the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2025, she has set a massive record of the youngest debutant. At the young age of 16 years she got chosen by the Mumbai Indians Women franchise for Rs 1.6 crores.With her first ever International win and an ever-expanding list of accolades at such a tender age, Kamalini has already been winning hearts of the people from across the globe. The young athlete has become an inspiration to many who wants to make it big into cricket. Her skills, adaptability, and maturity have already left seasoned cricketers and coaches in awe.
