Dehradun, Jan 14 : In 2011 a decision was taken that changed the life of a 16-year-old girl. It was well thought out. The girl dared to step out into the wider world.

Sneh Rana, whose rearguard helped India draw the one-off Test against England, epitomises the small-town girl in modern Indian cricket who straddles the two worlds.

Hailing from Sinaula, on the outskirts of Dehradun, Rana along with her parents and coaches – Kiran and Narendra Sah – decided to shift to Punjab as back then Cricket Association of Uttarakhand was not affiliated with the Board of Control for Cricket in India. BCCI granted full membership only in 2019.

The all-rounder moved to Punjab via Haryana, where she played only one season as she did not get much opportunity to prove herself.

“My coaches spoke to people at Punjab Cricket Association. It was a life changing decision to shift to Punjab. You can call it a turning point. Me, my family, and coaches collectively took the decision. I got the exposure in Punjab,” Rana told UNI.

Initially, she would make regular trips from Dehradun to Amritsar for trials and return to her hometown to complete Class 12.

But once schooling finished, Rana moved in a hostel in Amritsar for four years. The young girl got herself enrolled in BBK DAV College for Women and went onto complete her graduation in Amritsar too.

“I consider myself lucky. My parents always supported me. When I used to study, focus was on study and when play, focus was on cricket. My school Doon Valley supported me throughout.

“(Playing for) Punjab was priority. There coaches welcomed and supported me. Soon, I got a job with Railways so had to stay in Amritsar,” she recalls.

In 2014, Rana was finally rewarded for all the hard-work she had put in since she was nine, when she had joined Little Masters cricket club in her home town. She had overcome several challenges thrown at her, including cycling 8-10 kms and hopping on public transport to reach the academy, and travelling mostly alone everywhere.

It was time for Rana to live her as well as her father’s dream – donning India colours.

“I was travelling from somewhere to home. I knew team was going to be announced. I had a good Challengers Trophy but when I checked I didn’t see my name. I was disappointed and apologised to my parents that I couldn’t make it.

“But then my friend from Hyderabad called me and congratulated. I was like, ‘why are you wishing me? I didn’t make it.’ And I started fighting with her on messages. She sent me a link and I saw my name. Then I realised all that while I was checking an old link. I felt so good and it was special because I was sitting with my parents.”

Rana made her One-Day International debut against Sri Lanka on January 19, 2014 at Visakhapatnam. The off-spinner bagged her maiden wicket when Oshadi Ranasinghe was trapped leg-before.

The following two years were priceless in her career; she got a job with the Indian Railways and started playing for them. Soon the wonder tale abruptly paused because of a knee injury, which she sustained during a match.

Rana’s knee twisted on ground, leading to a ligament tear. A subsequent surgery meant she could not play for a year. However, she says that she learned a lot from that period.

“It made me mentally strong. I learned to accept and let go of things. It somehow benefitted my career. At home, my mom motivated me. She said, ‘recover from it and make a comeback’.

“I promised myself that I have to return because I worked so hard for it. I struggled and stayed away from home for so many years so how could I let it go? Yes, there were people who would say things like I can’t comeback now but that too motivated me.”

Amid her quest for comeback, her performance saw a rapid improvement. Since last two years, Rana, who started playing for Railways when she was 22, has been leading the team whenever regular skipper Mithali Raj is not available.

During the 2020–21 Women’s Senior One Day Trophy, Rana finished as the leading wicket-taker, with 18 scalps. In the final, she returned with the figures of 3/33 and also scored 34 not out to help Railways beat Jharkhand by seven wickets.

The domestic toiler’s impressive performance finally opened the door to the Indian dressing room. Rana returned to the national squad after a five-year gap on May 14, 2021, when the BCCI announced the team for a multi-format series, including a one-off Test, against England.

It was a bittersweet news for Rana as she had lost her father in April, a little over two weeks before the squad announcement.

“It was an emotional moment for me. It was my dad’s dream that I play again for India. My mom supported me that I should go and play. She told me, ‘You have worked so much for this, your father had sacrificed so much for you so you don’t leave it. Don’t take tension of home we all are here and don’t worry about me. You just focus on game’.

“After she told me that I didn’t think anything. It’s a loss that nothing can bridge. So I made that loss my strong point that I have to do it for him,” Rana said.

The all-rounder had a dream comeback, scoring an unbeaten 80 and taking four wickets in the one-off Test match. She along with Taniya Bhatia (44 not out) stitched a solid 104-run partnership for the ninth wicket which ultimately dashed England’s hopes of pulling off their first Test win at home in 16 years.

In the latest 2021–22 Women’s Senior One Day Trophy, Railways won their 13th title after defeating Karnataka by eight wickets in the final. Rana returned with the figures of 2/10. Then, under her leadership, India A won the 2021-22 Senior Women’s One Day Challenger Trophy in December.

Her grit and resilience paved way for her to storm into the 15-member India squad for the upcoming 2022 Women’s Cricket World Cup in New Zealand.

“It is a dream for any player to play the World Cup and win. I just want to live up to the expectations of my team and fulfil the responsibilities that will be given to me,” Sneh signed off.(UNI)