If you happen to meet Sneh Rana and strike up a conversation about cricket and life, her one-line pieces of advice may seem casual at first. But for Sneh, those words carry weight and have a way of manifesting into reality.

The off-spinner returned to the Indian women’s team set-up last April after a gap of two years, and her terrific run culminated in the team lifting its maiden ODI World Cup on home soil.

Having collected the National Team of the Year honour at the Sports stars ACES Awards 2026, alongside teammate Deepti Sharma and bowling coach Aavishkar Salvi, Sneh sat down for a chat on life after the historic triumph and her evolution as a player.

Excerpts:

What has changed for you in terms of visibility post the World Cup win?

People used to say that girls should not be given brand deals. I think that has changed a lot. Moreover, wherever we go, people easily recognise us. The major impact is seeing more female cricketers on the field who want to play for the country. We see it in clubs, where there are a lot of admissions coming in for women athletes.

You returned to the Indian set-up last year before the Tri-Nation Series in Sri Lanka. Do you remember the call you received?

I don’t remember when I got the call-up. But I must have been playing somewhere (laughs). I had faith in myself and my hard work. You asked me about the ‘ComebackQueen’ tag — I got it because I don’t give up easily. I got that call-up because when you work hard, and no one’s looking at you, that hard work bears fruit.

In the two years that you missed international cricket (between 2023 and 2025), were you injured or not part of the set-up?

It wasn’t an injury. The only time I was out of the team because of one was in 2016. After I returned after five years (in 2021), I had been in and out of the side.

Deepti Sharma and yourself are off-spin bowling all-rounders. When there are two experienced players of the same profile vying for a spot in the team, is there a rivalry? What are the conversations like between you both?

Deepti and I debuted in 2014, and we have been playing together since then. It feels really good when I share the field with her. A lot of people don’t know this, but we talk a lot in between overs, because we tend to share the ball. We make a strategy of what is going on at one end, what you will use at the other end, so that it benefits the team. There should always be a sweet rivalry so that you don’t take your place for granted.

You’ve played quite a bit of domestic cricket and have done so as recently as last year. Do you think the level has caught up with that of international cricket?

Yes, it has improved a lot after the 2017 World Cup. Everyone’s taking women’s cricket seriously, and the Women’s Premier League (WPL) has a lot to do with it. It’s become a career option. From the time I started playing domestic cricket some 12-15 years back, there’s been a massive change in mindset. The approach to cricket has changed. There’s a lot of clarity about what players want to do and how they can play for India.

What were your takeaways from the Australia series?

We arrived with a positive mindset. Beating Australia in the T20I series, that too in their backyard, is a big deal. And let me tell you, when we defeated them 10 years ago, I was part of that tour too. Somehow, we couldn’t carry the same mindset forward into the ODIs and the Test. But, as they say, failure teaches you. So every day is a new learning experience. I would say that our attitude was one positive thing. It’s not easy to play back-to-back matches.

You have some fond memories in Test cricket, especially your debut against England in 2021 when you made that 80 to help draw the match. You’ve also been part of five out of six Tests India has played from 2021 to now. Before that, India had last played red-ball cricket in the 2014-15 season. Do you think India’s massive loss to Australia in this series is due to a lack of matches played? If so, what do you think needs to change for women’s teams to play more Tests?

Sneh Rana signs autographs during Day 3 of the Test match between Australia and India earlier this month.
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There are many factors resulting in any loss in cricket. Less exposure to Test cricket is definitely one of them. We have a couple of Tests coming up this year. Maybe we can see a few Test-specific series in the near future, which will help us in improving our skills in the longest format, and in overseas conditions.

There are a lot of spinners in the current Indian set-up, many of them young and with years ahead of them. How do you constantly evolve your game, especially in the T20 format, to compete?

If I talk about myself, I have learned a lot of variations. My idol, R. Ashwin, who’s a master of spin, told me to just be confident and have belief in myself. We keep learning in the nets. ‘If I bowl like this, or with a grip like this, what will happen?’ We enjoy the process. With our bowling coach, Aavishkar (Salvi) sir, we keep talking and experimenting. I think this is the way to evolve. You find a new way by yourself, a way to express yourself.

(On batting) I’ve been working on it for years now. I give myself a scenario — ‘you have to make 10 runs in 4 balls, or 15 runs in 4 balls. How will you approach batting? What should your mindset be at that time?’ When you put yourself in a difficult situation like that in the nets, it reflects during the match.

With the T20 World Cup just months away, what areas does India need to improve in? Bowling has been an area of concern at times. Do you think so too?

I would not say particularly bowling, but with the kind of pitches being prepared, it’s difficult to bowl. But we are working on that. We make strategies. We talk to coaches. What if the situation arises where you have to defend a run off the last ball? So, we give ourselves that scenario. Looking forward, we will apply whatever we are working on in the South Africa series.

Published on Mar 21, 2026