It felt like I was making my India debut: Sneh Rana
Chandigarh: Sneh Rana is back with a bang. After more than a year out of the Indian women's team set-up, the off-spinner returned at the just-ended ODI tri-series in Colombo.
Her haul of 15 wickets (econ 4.73), including 5/43 against South Africa, helped India emerge winners with the 31-year-old named Player-of-the-Series. Rana had played her last ODI in December, 2023 – she hasn't played T20Is since February that year – but it didn't show as she equalled Australian Cathryn Fitzpatrick's record for most wickets in a multi-team ODI series.
In the final on Sunday, Rana's 4/38 dashed Sri Lanka's hopes after being set 343 to win. Back in favour of the national selectors after a fine showing for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in WPL 3, the player from Dehradun should be in the frame along with Deepti Sharma for the women's ODI World Cup which India are due to host in September-October.
In this interview, Rana talks about her comeback, working on her craft while away from the India team and about change of pace helping her succeed on good pitches laid out by the organisers at the R Premadasa Stadium pitch.
Excerpts:
What was your mindset playing for India after almost 15 months?
It felt like I was making my debut for India. Wearing the Indian jersey always gives a high. I wanted to give my best and win games for India. I am happy that all my hard work paid off and India won the series as well.
You bagged 15 wickets in five matches – sum up your successful comeback.
Getting to play for India after a long gap was a huge deal for me. The kind of training I was doing while playing for Railways and learning from India bowling coach Aavishkar Salvi's suggestions helped me raise my game. The series has given me confidence, I am more motivated now to do well in the future.
You went unsold in the WPL 3 auction, but RCB took you as injury replacement for Shreyanka Patil and you took 6 wickets…
I was not at all disappointed missing the WPL 3 auction. I had enjoyed playing for Gujarat Giants in the previous two seasons. I was focussed on what I had in hand (domestic cricket). It was sad to see Shreyanka injured. She is a fantastic spinner. I was really excited to get to play for RCB, who were the defending champions. I gave my best and was able to perform well in the five matches.
How did you work on your bowling and fitness to make this strong comeback, with the World Cup approaching?
I have worked on my fitness and also added variations to my bowling. Apart from my stock ball, I worked hard on bowling yorkers and straight deliveries; I even worked on bowling quick bouncers. The wickets are flat these days and one has to add variations to get wickets. And franchise cricket has made it more competitive; one has to keep working hard to make an impact.
How excited are you about the World Cup taking place in India?
It's really great that a women's World Cup is happening in India after almost nine years. The familiar conditions and the wickets definitely give an advantage to the home team. Hopefully India will do well. As for me, I am focussed on maintaining momentum and keep bowling well for India. India travel to England next for a series. My eyes are on that series for now.
What was the mood in the Indian team during the tri-series with war-like situation between India and Pakistan?
Nobody likes to see wars happening. We were all a bit scared about the well-being of our families living in the northern parts. But we all had huge belief in the India's armed forces, and they did a fine job eventually. Also, we decided not to discuss the war when on the field.
How did captain Harmanpreet Kaur and vice-captain Smriti Mandhana help out in your comeback?
Both are very experienced now and captain their WPL teams as well. I remember against South Africa I leaked a lot of runs and was not able to get a wicket. Both Harmanpreet and Smriti kept backing me and kept telling me to concentrate and bowl to my strengths. This attitude really helped bolster my bowling in the series.
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