Indian team recall a result of hard work: Meghana

Hyderabad: The last time Sabbhineni Meghana played for India was in 2016. Having played in six T20 internationals, the right-handed opening batter spent five years in wilderness before making a return to the Indian team for the upcoming Women’s World Cup, scheduled to be held in New Zealand. She has been named as first reserve […]

Hyderabad: The last time Sabbhineni Meghana played for India was in 2016. Having played in six T20 internationals, the right-handed opening batter spent five years in wilderness before making a return to the Indian team for the upcoming Women’s World Cup, scheduled to be held in New Zealand. She has been named as first reserve in the team.

The 25-year-old is delighted and says she wants to make the most of the opportunity, when she gets it. The Railways player attributes her comeback to hard work and determination.

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“I feel very happy to make it to the Indian side after five years. However, I expected the selection since I have been performing well constantly in the domestic circuit. So, it was not a surprise,” she said.

Meghana, who represented India in six T20s in 2016, was the leading run-getter in the Senior Women’s Challenger One Day Trophy with 207 runs, including a century. She attributed the success to following the process and trusting her abilities.

“During the last five years, I didn’t think much about the selection. I was purely focusing on the process. I worked hard on my game and fitness. I had fitness issues in 2015 and I have put in a lot of effort in the last two years. That helped me in doing well in the domestic season,” she explained.

She also said performing in the Challengers Trophy did boost her chances. “Many people will perform at the domestic level. But performing in Challengers Trophy, where the elite Indian players will be seen in action, gave me the extra push to make it to the Indian team.”

There is a tough competition for the opening spot in the Indian team with Smriti Mandhana and Shefali Verma sealing the spots. However, Meghana is only focused on making the most of the chance when she gets it.

“I am not thinking when I will play. Whenever I get a chance, I want to make it count. I don’t want to think too much about anything and put myself under any sort of pressure. I am happy that I am back in the scheme of things,” she added.

Meghana also revealed she made finer changes to her technique and thanked V Chamundeswaranath, former BCCI junior selection committee chairman, who helped her.

“We train at the Ramanaidu Foundation Academy nets in Madhapur and Chamundi sir helped me with my batting technique,” she pointed out.

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