Latest news with #SnehRana
India Today
17-05-2025
- Sport
- India Today
‘Mentally stronger' Sneh Rana eyes World Cup after record-breaking India return
The world seemed like a beautiful place for India's Sneh Rana when she became only the second Indian bowler, after Neetu David, to take eight wickets in a Women's Test innings - achieving the feat during the only Test against Laura Wolvaardt's South Africa at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai last limited-overs cricket told a different story. Rana lost her place in the ODI team following India's home series against Australia in December 2023. Earlier that year, she was dropped from the T20I squad after India's exit in the T20 World Cup semis in South Africa. To add to her woes, she went unsold in the Women's Premier League (WPL) 2025 auction after being released by the Gujarat stars have begun to align for 31-year-old Rana in 2025. In February, she earned a contract with the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) after 2024 Purple Cap winner Shreyanka Patil was sidelined due to injury. In five matches, Rana claimed six wickets at an economy rate of 8.22, with best figures of 3/26 against the UP Warriorz. Sneh Rana became the Player of the Match in the Sri Lanka tri-series. Courtesy: PTI However, it was her explosive batting performance against the Warriorz in Lucknow that grabbed headlines. Smashing 26 runs off just six balls, she struck at an astonishing strike rate of 433.33 - second only to Chloe Tryon's 457.14 against India in 2018 amongst Women's T20 innings of 25 or more runs. While RCB lost the match, Rana etched her name into the WPL record books with the most runs scored in a single over, taking the attack to Deepti making her WPL comeback for the 2024 champions, she became unstoppable. She earned an ODI recall after nearly a year and a half and justified her selection by becoming the Player of the Series in the tri-nation tournament in Sri Lanka. In five matches, Rana took 15 wickets at an economy rate of claimed her maiden five-wicket haul in a crucial match, helping India snatch victory from the jaws of defeat against South Africa. Rana finished with figures of 10-0-43-5, pulling India out after the 140-run opening stand between Wolvaardt and Tazmin Brits with the Proteas chasing 277. She also impressed with a four-wicket haul in the final, where India defeated Sri Lanka by 97 runs. Sneh Rana took an 8-wicket haul in India's Only Test against South Africa last year. Courtesy: PTI Rana broke Nooshin Al Khadeer's 22-year-old record (14) for the most wickets in a single triangular and quadrangular ODI series. She also shined as a captain, leading India D to victory in the Senior Women's multi-day Challenger Trophy, taking 11 wickets in three games, including a five-wicket Thursday, Rana's joy doubled as she marked her T20I comeback after more than two years, having last played in the T20 World Cup in South Africa. The gritty all-rounder from Uttarakhand earned a place in the national squad for the upcoming tour of the meantime, Rana spoke to India Today Digital about her fairytale return to the Indian team in Sri Lanka, her experience playing for RCB in the WPL, and her preparations for the England are some excerpts from Indian women's all-rounder Sneh Rana's interviewWPL deal with RCB, ODI comeback after nearly one and a half years, and now a T20I comeback after two years — how has life been lately?Yes, I am feeling so glad right now. As you mentioned, the T20 team has just been announced, and I also just got to know about it — like just a minute ago. So I'm glad that I'm back in the T20s. And the past two months, I mean... they were very crucial for me because the One Day World Cup is right around the corner. And I've also performed you look at the past two months' stats — as you said, WPL started, and the way I performed for RCB stood out. Then there was the Sri Lanka series, and in between, I also did really well in domestic cricket, where we won the trophy. So overall, the past two months have been really the Sri Lanka tri-series the best you have bowled so far in your ODI career?Ah, if I talk stats-wise, yes, it is the best series so far. Sneh Rana made her T20I comeback after more than two years. Courtesy: PTI How would you differentiate between the Sneh Rana who got dropped after December 2023 and the Sneh Rana who tore apart opponents in Sri Lanka?There isn't really any major difference as such. I would say that I've become a bit mentally stronger. Like, if we talk about the past two years — 2023 and now it's 2025 — so I've been persistent. Apart from that, I wouldn't say there's been any drastic South Africa scoring 140 by the 28th over in the second game, what was going through your mind with India under such extreme pressure?So when you're on the field, your mindset is always about how you can get a breakthrough for your team. At that time, when there was such a long partnership — and it was justified, because if you look at some of the conditions, they were favorable for the batters — the only thing on my mind was to get the first breakthrough. After that, we knew we could make a comeback in the match. So in that moment, the only focus is on how quickly you can take a wicket — it's just all about the wicket while playing. Sneh Rana played in the ODI World Cup 2022 in New Zealand. Courtesy: PTI In a generation where leg-spinners are gradually taking prominence, how big a role do you believe finger spinners play in the game? See, I believe that both have their own significance. If you look at wrist spinners and finger spinners, it's very difficult to compare. Both — if we talk about quality — are different in their own ways. Finger spin is also an art. And if you look at wrist spin, I believe that wrist spinners are... you know, it's very difficult to spin the ball using the wrist — being a wrist spinner is tough. So both have their own unique qualities and both play a very important role in their own already played in the ODI World Cup in 2022, how are you planning to shift the experience to the newer players? Whenever a youngster enters the team, our role is to share whatever we've gained in our career so far — whether it's experience or knowledge. The knowledge we have about the pitch, the weather conditions — our motive is always to pass that on to the new players coming in, because they usually aren't very familiar with these conditions, especially in foreign countries. So our aim is to share the experience we've gained while playing abroad with you feel Sneh Rana, the batter, has more to offer to the Indian team? I believe that as an all-rounder, Sneh Rana has a very important role. Not just as a batter or a bowler, but as an all-rounder. And definitely, whenever the team needs me, I will always try to deliver my best. Sneh Rana played for RCB in WPL 2025. Courtesy: PTI How was the experience of playing under Smriti Mandhana and alongside Ellyse Perry at RCB? I have played under Smriti before as well — when she was doing on-field captaincy in Harman ji's absence, and even recently in the WPL, I played under her. She is very calm and knows exactly what works in which situation. She's very clear with her plans and has a lot of experience. She reads conditions really well and shares that knowledge with us too — what will work in a particular situation and what won' since you mentioned Ellyse Perry — she's a player everyone wants to watch. Her work ethic is outstanding. She's a great team player and an exceptional athlete. What I admire most about her is her work ethic. So yes, she has a lot of experience, and with Australia currently being the number one team in the ICC rankings, the experience she brings is something to learn from. I had the chance to talk to her recently during the WPL, and it felt really good speaking with one of the games against UP Warriorz, you almost took RCB home. Did you have any regrets after not being able to win the game? Look, if there were more balls, maybe I would have lasted till the end. But as everyone knows, we needed a lot of runs and we had very limited balls left. At that time, that shot was required, and although the ball hit the middle of the bat, unfortunately, it was caught—it didn't go over the rope. There are no regrets, but definitely a lot of Entertainment! #RCB fell short of the but Sneh Rana's fantastic cameo took the game down to the wire!Updates #TATAWPL | #UPWvRCB | @RCBTweets Women's Premier League (WPL) (@wplt20) March 8, 2025What's the cultural difference between playing for RCB and the Gujarat Giants? The biggest difference is definitely the fan following of RCB. It's massive, and that's probably why they're called the 'Twelfth Army.' So when you play for RCB, you're not just playing for your franchise — you're playing for millions of fans as well. I think that's the main difference compared to any other you think that the experience of playing in England in 2021 might help you in your T20I comeback?If I talk about it, it's been about four years since 2021. So now, pitch conditions might be a little different, and the surroundings are a bit different too. The experience I've gained since 2021, along with all the cricket I've played — domestic and WPL — I think that experience will help me a lot when I go to England. And whatever practice sessions we have there, I think they will give me even more Watch
India Today
16-05-2025
- Sport
- India Today
Government unlikely to hold special session on Op Sindoor: Sources
6:16 In an exclusive chat with India Today Digital, Indian women's all-rounder Sneh Rana spoke about her stupendous ODI series in Sri Lanka where she took 15 wickets and her T20I recall after two years for the tour of England.
India Today
16-05-2025
- Sport
- India Today
Rajnath Singh says IMF must reconsider $1 billion assistance to Pakistan
6:16 In an exclusive chat with India Today Digital, Indian women's all-rounder Sneh Rana spoke about her stupendous ODI series in Sri Lanka where she took 15 wickets and her T20I recall after two years for the tour of England.
India Today
15-05-2025
- Sport
- India Today
Shafali Verma, Sneh Rana make T20I comeback as India women name squad for England tour
Shafali Verma and Sneh Rana have earned T20I recalls as India have named full-strength women's squads for the upcoming white-ball tour of England, which begins on June 28. The tour comprises five T20Is and three ODIs, with Harmanpreet Kaur set to lead the side across both squads, announced by the Women's Selection Committee on Thursday, mark a return to several familiar faces, while also springing a few surprises with some notable omissions. Fast bowler Renuka Singh and off-spinner Shreyanka Patil have missed out, with no official word yet on the reasons behind their returns to the T20I setup on the back of a strong campaign in the Women's Premier League. Opening for Delhi Capitals, she scored 304 runs at a strike rate of 152.76, forming a destructive partnership with skipper Meg Lanning. While the Capitals reached their third successive WPL final, they fell short once again. Despite DC's heartbreaking loss to Mumbai Indians in the final, Shafali's consistency with the bat helped make a comeback in the Indian limited-overs Satghare, who made her international debut against Ireland earlier this year, has earned a recall and finds a place in both the ODI and T20I squads—unlike Shafali, who has been included in only one format. Kranti Gaud replaces Kashvee Gautam, while Sayali is the other new inclusion. Kashvee was part of the India women's squad for the recently concluded tri-series in Sri T20I squad, in particular, has undergone significant changes. Yastika Bhatia and Harleen Deol return to the setup, while Sneh Rana has been rewarded with a place following her Player of the Tournament performance in the tri-series. Meanwhile, Uma Chetry, who had opened in India's last T20I assignment against the West Indies, has been omitted along with a few others, with the selectors opting to carry much of the ODI core into the T20I leg as T20I Squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Smriti Mandhana (VC), Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (WK), Yastika Bhatia (WK), Harleen Deol, Deepti Sharma, Sneh Rana, Sree Charani, Shuchi Upadhyay, Amanjot Kaur, Arundhati Reddy, Kranti Gaud, Sayali SatghareIndia's ODI Squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Smriti Mandhana (VC), Pratika Rawal, Harleen Deol, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (WK), Yastika Bhatia (WK), Tejal Hasabnis, Deepti Sharma, Sneh Rana, Sree Charani, Shuchi Upadhyay, Amanjot Kaur, Arundhati Reddy, Kranti Gaud, Sayali Satghare
Hindustan Times
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
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.
