New Delhi, July 15 (IANS) India’s off-spin bowling all-rounder Sneh Rana has revealed that the historic 270-run victory over England in the first-ever women’s Test match at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground was the culmination of deep manifestation and visualisation of ‘creating history’ long before the team even set foot on the hallowed turf.
It took 142 years for Lord’s to host its first-ever Women’s Test match, and the Harmanpreet Kaur-led side registered themselves as winners of the historic game at the iconic venue. The mammoth and very special victory also marked India’s second-highest win by runs in women’s Tests and the fourth biggest victory overall in the longer format, apart from maintaining their clean slate in red-ball games in England.
“If I tell you personally, since the time we came to know that the Lord would host the Test match, and it is the first time Test cricket would be played there, our manifestation started from there. Like what to do and for visualisation, we used to think of going there and would say that if we win, India’s name will come here and it will remain forever and become history.
“So all this was going on in the dressing room before the match, and finally, when that moment came, it was a very special feeling, and I just want all our players to keep writing their names on the honours board and create more history,” Sneh told IANS in an exclusive conversation after coming back home.
Quizzed on the moments from the victory which will stay in her mind forever, a not-so-jet-lagged Sneh stated two moments: the walk from the long room to singing the national anthem on day one, and sealing the victory in one and a half hours on the fourth day.
“The first thing that will always be there in mind will be when we wore the Test whites and were going from the Long Room to Lord’s, and everybody was clapping. When the national anthem started, we wore the whites, and we could see the Lord’s in front, including the iconic balcony.
“Standing on that ground and you are singing the national anthem while wearing the whites – I think that is the most special memory. Second, of course, is winning the Test match, as that has become a part of history, and India’s name has come to be there. So this will be very special.”
The belief that a famous victory at Lord’s was further fuelled by head coach Amol Muzumdar, who urged the players to seize their opportunity of a lifetime. “Yes, absolutely. When we were in the dressing room, Amol Sir was saying that history would be made because it was the first Test. After this, there will be Test matches or other women’s matches. But this will always be special, and the name of India will always be there.
“So, play by just thinking that history is going to be made, and you have to create history, as it is a very good opportunity. He also said that there is a very special chance to write your name on this board, and the names of very special people come there. There are very few players whose names are on this honours board.
“For the first time, one of you will be writing someone’s name there, which no one can erase. It will be imprinted in history. I mean, as long as cricket is played at Lord’s, it will remain a board. So, it will remain your name. It was a very good motivation for us, and so, this talk was going on for the Lord’s Test.”
Recalling the exact moment she castled Sophie Ecclestone to seal a very special victory for India and end with 4-42 in the second innings, Sneh said, “We were waiting for the last wicket for a very long time. Like, when will the wicket come, and when will we celebrate? Finally, when I took that wicket, it was a very, very good feeling.
“You represent India, and when you pick such important wickets, it obviously makes us very happy. But everyone had the same thought because it was the first Test at Lord’s. After so many years, the first women’s Test took place, and it is now in history – India and England played, and India won the Test match. So, it will always be a special feeling,” she said.
The historic Test saw young pacer Kranti Gaud claim a five-wicket haul and wicketkeeper-batter Yastika Bhatia score a spectacular century as both etched their names on the iconic honours board at Lord’s.
Speaking about Kranti, who is now the first pacer to pick a five-wicket haul in a women’s Test at Lord’s, Sneh highlighted how the younger crop of players are extremely self-aware. “I would like to say about Kranti that she is a young talent. It’s good that we don’t have to tell youngsters much these days because they are already so experienced from playing so much cricket. So, they know what to do when and at which stage.”
Sneh was involved in Kranti picking Sophie Ecclestone as her fifth wicket, and though she spilt the chance, a diving Shafali Verma managed to grab it. “As you said, I had a hand in it too, and I was thanking Shafali that she finally caught that catch because I missed it.
“It came in very fast because the batter slashed it, and there was a little judgment error in the slip from it. But thanks to Shafali, she covered it on my behalf, and it was her fifth wicket. So, she will always remember it, I will always remember it, and Shafali will also remember it because that came in a different way.”
Sneh further revealed about being visibly emotional when speaking about Yastika getting a landmark century, the first by a batter in women’s Tests at Lord’s, especially after overcoming an ACL injury picked up just before last year’s victorious ODI World Cup win.
“For Yastika, I would like to say that she is very hardworking. Since she debuted, we have been with her. I have been watching her since then. So, she has polished herself very well in both batting and keeping. I have seen her growth in the last 3-4 years. Obviously, I felt a little bad when she got injured just before the World Cup last year.
“But this time, all of us were in the dressing room. The support staff was also there. So, they were saying that the name of any batter should come with a hundred. Amol sir always says that a batter should have a hundred. So, finally, when it came from Yastika’s bat, we also got emotional because her past year was a little injury-prone.
“She was also emotional. All of us sitting outside were also emotional because when you do the hard work and when you get the result of it, that happiness just hits you differently. When a person fights with her injury, struggles, and emerges from it, then the fruit she gets, that taste of it becomes very different, and who can know about this better than me? Her coming out of the injury phase and going to the Lord’s Honours Board is a very big deal.”
“We were happy when the names of the youngsters were being written on the Honours Board. So, we were getting goosebumps, and it was very nice that, for the first time, the Women’s Test was held at Lord’s and the names of two Indian players were written on that board, which will always be there. So, we were very happy to see that.”
Adding to the magic of the Test match victory was a surprise visit ahead of day four by legendary batter Sachin Tendulkar. “When he came, we were very surprised. But at the same time, we were also very happy that Sachin Sir came here. I mean, he is called the God of Cricket.
“So, when we saw him on that ground, in the Home of Cricket, we were very happy to see him. When he came, he told us that I have come here to cheer for you, and I have come to enjoy the match because after many years, the first women’s Test was taking place, and this was the victory of women’s cricket. So, I have only come to enjoy it. He had said one line – ‘Just stay hungry and humble.’ I liked that very much, and he just gave us these good wishes,” concluded Sneh.
–IANS
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