Watch: Hardik Pandya keeps his promise, gifts bat to Kashvee Gautam

Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya kept his promise to Kashvee Gautam and gifted her a bat ahead of her potential India debut. Kashvee, who had asked Pandya for a bat during the Women's Premier League this year, was elated to receive the gift from the all-rounder.

Kashvee Gautam, who looks up to Hardik Pandya, is an all-rounder for Gujarat Giants in the WPL. After an exceptional season with the team, Kashvee received her maiden call-up to the Indian team ahead of the Women's ODI World Cup, set to be held in India later this year.

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Pandya was on the sidelines during one of Gujarat's matches in the WPL, where he met Kashvee. During that meeting, Kashvee's teammates told Pandya that the all-rounder modelled herself on him and had even written HP33 on her bat.

Pandya, visibly awed, promised Kashvee that he would shred down one of his bats to 1100 grams (Kashvee's original bat weight) and gift it to the young all-rounder. Pandya kept his promise and gifted her the bat ahead of Mumbai's match against Delhi Capitals.

Kashvee Gautam had a terrific season in the WPL this year. The 21-year-old finished as the team's leading wicket-taker, claiming 11 wickets in nine matches at an economy rate of 6.45. She also contributed with the bat, playing a couple of valuable knocks for Gujarat.

Earlier, Kashvee’s teammate Phoebe Litchfield heaped praise on the talented Indian all-rounder. "She's awesome. I think it's a nice taste of home when you're batting with her. She's very calm, very collected, and can take games away with her destructive batting. Her ability to captain, bowl well, and bat explosively is a huge asset for the team. We love having her on our side," Litchfield had said.

Owing to her stunning performances, Kashvee Gautam was named in the Indian womens team's 15-member squad for their upcoming tri-series against Sri Lanka and South Africa. India named their players, keeping preparation for the upcoming World Cup in mind, set to be played in the months of September and October in India.

India squad for Tri-Series

Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Smriti Mandhana (VC), Pratika Rawal, Harleen Deol, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (WK), Yastika Bhatia (WK), Deepti Sharma, Amanjot Kaur, Kashvee Gautam, Sneh Rana, Arundhati Reddy, Tejal Hasabnis, Sree Charani, Shuchi Upadhyay

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