Indian women's cricket team spinner Sneh Rana has dedicated her stellar performance in Tests to her late father.
India women’s cricket team spinner Sneh Rana has dedicated her stellar Test debut performance to her late father, who died a couple of days before she was named within the side for the continued one-off game against England at Bristol.
Comfortably placed at 230 for 2 , England were rattled by Rana (3/77) and all-rounder Deepti Sharma (2/50) as they picked two wickets each within the final session of the opening day to bring India back within the Test, the team’s first in seven years.
“I lost my father two months back. When this team was announced, a touch before that, I lost him. it had been a touch difficult, it had been an emotional moment because he wanted to ascertain me play again for India,” Rana said during the news conference that followed after day one’s play on Wednesday. “But unfortunately, he can’t. It’s okay, it's a part of life, but whatever I did then and whatever i will be able to do now, i will be able to dedicate everything to him,” she said.
England lost four wickets for 21 runs in seven overs within the final session. Rana said the pitch was a touch on the slower side but it suited them since it offered turn right from the start . “The pitch was a touch slow at the first stage, but it helped the spinners, because it had been turning a touch from starting only. It’s a very good wicket to bat on. i feel it'll remain an equivalent tomorrow.”
Opting to bat, England women were 269/6 at stumps. Skipper Heather Knight top-scored with a patient 95. The 27-year-old spinner said she need to realize her debut within the team meeting.
“In the practice sessions, we wont to speak to the captain (Mithali Raj) and coach (Ramesh Powar), on what to try to to , the way to bowl, what must be done. i used to be playing for the primary time during a Test, where the scenario may be a bit different from one-days and T20s, so we wont to speak daily about it.”
Coach Ramesh Powar had urged Rana, whose scalps included Tammy Beaumont, Amy Jones and Georgia Elwiss, to bowl to her strengths.
“Those who observe from the surface know better. He didn't put any pressure but said that bowl to strength and follow the fundamentals . So, I didn't do anything extra thereon ball (on which I got my first wicket), I just tried bowling to my strengths and it figured out .”
Rana, who made a comeback to the national team after five years, said that she was rewarded for her performances within the domestic circuit.
“Actually, I suffered from an injury, thanks to which i used to be faraway from cricket for a year, but I even have constantly played domestic (cricket) then , and on the idea of that performance, I made a comeback to the Indian team after five years,” she said.
Stressing that one shouldn't hand over , Rana said that her comeback could inspire a couple of people. “Many people think we cannot make a comeback or making a comeback in international (cricket) is difficult, especially in women’s cricket. So I feel due to me some people would are inspired and that we shouldn't hand over ,” the off-spinner signed off.
