India Women’s Cricket team got eliminated in the group stage from ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022. Still, it did not stop a few Indian Women cricketers from realising their potential on the biggest stage. Sneh Rana is one such cricketer who proved her mettle in almost every Women’s World Cup game India played. She has become an ultimate all-rounder that India needed for years to slot just before the tail in the batting line-up and to call upon to bowl whenever in a pinch.
Here’s Sneh Rana’s journey of an epic comeback in international cricket:
Debut and Unfortunate Injury:
Sneh Rana is a bowling all-rounder who bats right-handed and bowls right-arm off-break. She made her debut for India in 2014 against Sri Lanka in both the white-ball formats of the game. Everything seemed to be going in the right direction for the girl from Dehradun in 2014, but a knee injury sustained in 2016 sidelined her from cricket for more than 5 years.
Fitness Issues:
After her rehabilitation in 2016, Rana put on a lot of weight and was reprimanded by the coach of the Railways domestic team for ruining her potential. Devastated and disappointed, Sneh Rana felt like it was the end of the road for her. However, Rana’s father, who was her most prominent strength pillar, helped her overcome the adverse situation and regain fitness to represent Railways in the domestic circuit to the best of her abilities.
Domestic Senior Women’s ODI Title:
In the 2021 season of the Domestic Senior Women’s ODI tournament Rana represented Railways and helped them clinch the 12th trophy in the tournament’s history. In the absence of Mithali Raj and other international cricketers part of Railway’s setup, Rana filled in the vital spots with stirring magnificent performances. She got promoted up the order in the finale, where she notched up an unbeaten 34* to guide her team to the victory following a sensational three wickets haul in the exact match.
Breakthrough Comeback:
On the back of her impressive outings for Railways, Sneh Rana was called up for a Test against England Women in June 2021. Sneh Rana proved her mettle on the first day of the test when she accounted for three English batters. She scripted an epic stubborn partnership of 144 runs with Taniya Bhatt for the 9th wicket on the 4th day to help India Women draw the Test match, despite being the first Test for India Women in the last seven years.
Personal Tragedy:
Sneh Rana regrets only one thing in life the reason behind her success and her most powerful support system. Her father passed away two months before she made her comeback to international cricket. Sneh’s father always encouraged and supported her in the toughest of times. He was the one to realise Rana’s passion for cricket to get her enrolled at an academy in childhood.
World Cup 2022:
BCCI selected Sneh Rana in the squad announced in January 2022 for ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup in New Zealand. Rana contributed significantly to the wins against Pakistan, Bangladesh and West Indies Women. She scored 101 runs and picked up 10 wickets in the tournament to be at the forefront of India Women’s campaign at the World Cup.
Also read: 8 Best Moments in India Women’s Cricket Worth Remembering.