CHENNAI: When the pandemic broke out in 2020, it had affected the women's game, including the careers of some cricketers — but not for all. For some, like S Meghana, it was a new lease of life when the sport resumed almost after a year. In the two seasons that followed — 2020-21 & 2021-22 — the Railways opener smashed 980 runs in 20 innings across formats in the domestic circuit at an average of 51.57.
The batting prodigy from Andhra was in the form of her life. She was oozing confidence, tearing apart bowling attacks for fun. Having made her India debut in 2016, the opener was on her comeback trail, breaking down the doors for selection one knock at a time. To put things into context, it was similar to the kind of performance male cricketer Mayank Agarwal had shown in the lead-up to his India debut. And deservingly, Meghana made a comeback in early 2022 when she was selected for the New Zealand tour before the ODI World Cup.
Cut to 2023, Meghana is with the Gujarat Giants in the Women's Premier League where has had a forgettable run so far — 34 runs in four innings at a strike rate of 106.25. If she was already struggling to get herself going, the ball Meghana got out against Delhi Capitals on Saturday summed up her campaign so far. A perfect off-stump yorker from Marizanne Kapp that came back in late to castle the stumps. It would not be an understatement to say that nine out of 10 batters would have gotten out to that. Such has been her luck so far in the WPL, in fact, in the last 12 months.
Since she made her India comeback, Meghana has featured in 14 of the 53 games the team has played across formats despite being with the contingent throughout. She was a standby in the ODI WC, a backup opener in every series since, and again a travelling reserve during the 2023 T20 World Cup. In South Africa, Meghana was rolling her arms in the nets before taking out the frustration on the white leather once the main batters were done with their sessions.
While it is understandably difficult for any athlete to be on the bench for that long, it also makes one wonder whether her confidence has taken a hit. Giants head coach Rachael Haynes doesn't think so. The former Australian cricketer believes that it is more to do with the "unforgiving" role Meghana is playing for the team. "We have asked her to play a very specific role and that is to kick off and take the game on in the powerplay," Haynes said in a media interaction on Monday.
"We think that really suits her game. She is a natural ball striker and somebody who can be very dangerous at the top of order. It probably comes with high risk, we have asked her to play a high-risk game. When it comes off, it looks absolutely brilliant and when it doesn't, unfortunately, you do get out early. I think that was the case in many careers, you can see that role can be unforgiving at times."
It comes as no surprise that Giants have asked her to play that role. After all, watching Meghana bat in full flow can be quite a sight. The lofted shots down the ground, and through extra-covers, her ability to hit bowlers through the line irrespective of the length — it would make one wonder how she is not an international regular. However, when things aren't going her way, how does one handle it, especially in such a short, high-pressure tournament?
Haynes feels that it all comes down to reiterating the confidence they have in the player. "I think we have seen glimpses of what she is capable of (against UP Warriorz when she scored a 15-ball 24), but she has unfortunately gotten out. For me as a coach, it is about reinforcing her role, reinforcing her confidence and also working with her. I had a really good session with her in the training today (Monday). She hit the ball beautifully. From our point of view, she is backed (to the tilt) and we want to see her be successful. It is just about reiterating that and making sure that when she goes out to bat, she is focussed on the things she can control, and just leaving the past behind."
As Giants take on Mumbai Indians in a crucial game on Tuesday, Meghana's contribution will be all the more crucial for them at the top. While they would want her to come good, all the Giants expect off Meghana is to leave the last four outings behind and try to do what is capable of on the field.