Sneh Rana, after her final day heroics in the one-off Test against England Women in Bristol, would probably have loved to receive a congratulatory call from her “papa”. But that was not to be as she lost her father, Bhagwan Singh Rana, two months back.
“…this is for my angel, my father. I am sure he is somewhere up there, watching me, and blessing me every step of the way. Papa, I hope I make you proud, always,” Sneh scribbled on Instagram on Sunday while the world celebrated Father’s Day.
India were in deep trouble when Sneh came on to bat at No.8 in Bristol. But she refused to be cowed into submission by the pressure situation and eventually authored a match-saving unbeaten 80 on Test debut.
Purnima Rau was the Indian Women team’s head coach when Sneh last played an international game — a T20I versus Sri Lanka back in February 2016 — and she thinks that losing her father has only strengthened the 27-year-old all-rounder’s resolve on her comeback to the Indian team.
“I think Sneh has realised the value of things more, especially that of the game, which has helped here gain in terms of maturity than what she was five years back. You know, when I lost my husband in 1995, I saw the world in a different way. You seem to be more aware of the reality when such an incident occurs. In Sneh’s case, I think it’s not just about the result, it’s about her thought process as well,” Purnima, who played five Tests and 33 ODIs, told The Telegraph from Hyderabad.
Analysing Sneh’s fighting knock in India’s second innings, Purnima said: “The maturity she showed was exemplary. This indeed is one difference I noticed in her.
“She was clear about which balls to hit and which ones to leave. She played to her strengths, executing the cut shot to good effect.”
Sneh too acknowledged the significance of patience, especially in a Test match, along with the need to turn a deaf ear to sledging by the opposition players. Apart from the tough situation, Sneh, along with Shikha Pandey and Taniya Bhatia — the two batters whom gave her company in defying the England bowlers — also had to deal with constant chirping by the close-in fielders during her 195-minute vigil at the crease.
“I wasn’t nervous at any stage as Shikha and me focused on the basics and didn’t respond to the sledging from England players,” Sneh, who also took four wickets with her off-spin, said at a virtual media conference.
“Patience played an important role here. The fact that both your patience and basics get tested is what makes Test cricket so special. There has to be a technique for everything,” she added.
During her unbroken 104-run stand for the eighth wicket with Taniya, the focus was only on the ball and “never on sledging.”
“We were telling each other, ‘Let’s not focus on sledging and rather concentrate on every ball.’ We just kept boosting each other as we had to do the job for our team,” Sneh said.
Domestic performance
Justifying Sneh’s inclusion in the XI, captain Mithali Raj emphasised that her consistent showing in domestic cricket for Railways had to be taken into consideration. In eight matches of the national one-dayers preceding the one-off Test, Sneh picked up 18 wickets and averaged 40 with the bat as well.
“Sneh got a lot of wickets in the domestic season. So if there’s a player who has been in form for the last two years in the domestic season, having done well both with the bat and ball, why not feed her in the first game (of the tour) as well?” Mithali reasoned.
“Yes, Sneh is coming back after five years, but I’m sure the girl walked in with loads of confidence after her performances in domestic cricket.
“I’m mighty impressed with all the debutants because right from Shafali (Verma) to Deepti (Shah), Sneh, Pooja Vastrakar and Taniya, they’ve all really done well,” Mithali added.
