Sneh Rana has produced a chartbuster on her Test debut and there shouldn't be any dearth of appreciation for the 27-year-old cricketer for the grit she has shown to help India women save the one-off Test against England at Bristol.
Sneh's unbeaten 80-run knock and 104*-run partnership for the 9th wicket with another debutant Taniya Bhatia (44*) dug India out of serious troubles. Having a follow-on to serve, India were tottering at 199-7 in the second innings, leading England by just 34 runs. But Sneh and Taniya’s gritty batting propelled India to 344/8 – nothing less than a historic comeback. Sneh, in the process, became the first Indian woman to have a four-wicket haul and a fifty in a debut match.
Twitter was abuzz with accolades flowing in from all across the country for the resilience shown by the Indian duo.
BCCI secretary Jay Shah felt such performances would go a long way in inspiring women in India as he wrote, "What a comeback by @BCCIWomen.Take a bow Sneh Rana @mandhana_smriti @TheShafaliVerma @Deepti_Sharma06 @raut_punam @IamTaniyaBhatia. I`m sure this will inspire Women in our country. Test Cricket at its best !!#TeamIndia #ENGvIND"
What a comeback by @BCCIWomen.Take a bow Sneh Rana @mandhana_smriti @TheShafaliVerma @Deepti_Sharma06 @raut_punam @IamTaniyaBhatia. I`m sure this will inspire Women in our country. Test Cricket at its best !!#TeamIndia #ENGvIND
— Jay Shah (@JayShah) June 19, 2021
KKR vice-captain Dinesh Karthik, who is in UK currently for his new role as a commentator in the India men's match against New Zealand, congratulated the women's team too.
Just a few kms away from Southampton, the Indian women's team have done a fabulous job of pulling the rabbit out of the hat. Top drawer stuff.
— DK (@DineshKarthik) June 19, 2021
Take a bow girls!#ENGvIND
Former men's cricketers joined the bandwagon as well and appreciated the extraordinary character of their women counterparts.
VVS Laxman appreciated the efforts of Sneh and another two Test debutants Deepti Sharma (scored 54) and Shafali Verma (scored 63) for their contribution at the top of the order and wrote, "A brilliant effort by the Indian girls to save the test match. Absolutely loved the resilience shown by Sneh Rana and earlier by Deepti Sharma. Shafali Verma certainly has a bright future ahead of her. Well done @BCCIWomen, this is one to remember for a long time."
A brilliant effort by the Indian girls to save the test match. Absolutely loved the resilience shown by Sneh Rana and earlier by Deepti Sharma. Shafali Verma certainly has a bright future ahead of her. Well done @BCCIWomen , this is one to remember for a long time. pic.twitter.com/CNQY5HyGXk
— VVS Laxman (@VVSLaxman281) June 19, 2021
Virendra Sehwag wrote: "Sneh Rana, take a bow. Could be one of the great match-saving innings #INDWvsENGW"
Sneh Rana ,take a bow.
— Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) June 19, 2021
Could be one of the great match-saving innings #INDWvsENGW
Sneh had lost her father two months ago and it was his dream to see her make a comeback to the Indian team. She eventually did make a comeback after 5 long years and donned the Test jersey for the first time, but life wasn’t kind enough to let her father witness the special moment.
Former India pacer Venkatesh Prasad underlined Sneh's struggles and tweeted, "A story overcoming adversities with courage and determination. Sneh Rana's father underwent various sacrifices to ensure she could practice, she lost her him days before selection in the test team, and today she has saved the test match for India. Hats off.
#INDWvsENGW"
A story overcoming adversities with courage and determination.
— Venkatesh Prasad (@venkateshprasad) June 19, 2021
Sneh Rana's father underwent various sacrifices to ensure she could practice, she lost her him days before selection in the test team , and today she has saved the test match for India. Hats off. #INDWvsENGW pic.twitter.com/94KSAqOsQX
Take a look at a few more tweets that underlined India's significant comeback:
The performance of the day came from Sneh Rana and it merely confirms my view that India will not be short on quality players in the women's game. It was a fantastic effort today and a shot in the arm for women's cricket.
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) June 19, 2021
Take a bow @BCCIWomen that was a phenomenal performance!! This draw is no less than a win. That partnership from Sneh Rana and Taniya Bhatia showed the character of this team. Well done👏🏼👏🏼 #ENGWvINDW pic.twitter.com/X1icjz4Oju
— Wasim Jaffer (@WasimJaffer14) June 19, 2021
Nerves of steel.
— Kirti Azad (@KirtiAzaad) June 20, 2021
Atta girl
#SnehRana pic.twitter.com/YjiCHE9LIS
This is a senior player who has done the hard yards at the domestic level, knows her game inside out, is happy with where she is at and is finding ways to succeed at the top level.
— Ananya Upendran (@a_upendran11) June 19, 2021
It's not always about finding the next big thing. #ENGvIND #SnehRana pic.twitter.com/pkOUfmxzCR
We’ve seen something very special from Sneh Rana & Taniya Bhatia.
— Gaurav Kapur (@gauravkapur) June 19, 2021
What a partnership 🙌#ENGvIND