S. Meghana — ready to grab the big opportunity in women’s cricket team

Self-belief and consistency on the domestic circuit helped me make a comeback into the Indian team, says S. Meghana.

The first stand-by for the Indian women’s World Cup team and member of the squad for the T20Is in New Zealand, Meghana said: “Now I’m waiting to grab the big opportunity when it comes my way.”

“It has been a long wait. The last time I played for India was in 2016. But, ever since I scored three fifties in the 2019 Quadrangular Series in Patna for India-B, the confidence was back and I started batting more consistently,” 25-year-old Meghana said in a chat with The Hindu before leaving on Sunday with captain Mithali Raj for training at Mangalagiri ACA Academy in Guntur.

“The recent Challenger Trophy in Mulapadu where I had scores of 60, 102, 0 and 45 proved to be decisive as I started batting consistently in the bigger events in domestic cricket,” she said.

Meghana is grateful to her South Central Railway coach R.S.R. Murthy and former BCCI junior selection panel chairman V. Chamundeshwarnath for providing turf wickets in Madhapur.

“I remember the early days when Purnima Rao (former India captain) who, as Andhra coach, insisted I should work on my batting since I had the ability to hit even good-length deliveries,” she said.

“And, there is Nooshin (al Khadeer) who has always given invaluable tips along with Mithali akka. They played a big role in me being more consistent,” Meghana said.

Meghana, who learned her basics from coach Srinivas Reddy of ACA and Krishna Rao in Vijayawada, said she had made some minor adjustments to her technique.

The SCR cricketer admires Mithali “having grown up watching her” and legend Sachin Tendulkar and feels that the New Zealand tour could well be the turning point of her career.