Former India players, coach hail swing queen Meghna Singh

No need to be the next Jhulan Goswami, focus on your strength, says Anjum Chopra.

A batter always finds it hard to tackle swing, especially those that veer away from off stump. Young India bowler Meghna Singh has a good outswinger which she enjoys bowling in unrewarding conditions.

Meghna Singh(ICC/Twitter)

Singh’s two wickets in the standalone pink ball Test against Australia last week didn’t surprise coach and mentor Lakshyaraj Tyagi, who has been grooming her since 2016 in Bijnor in western Uttar Pradesh.

“I was surprised (when I saw) Meghna’s style of gripping red cherry for the first time. Though her early deliveries at the nets on the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium turf were wayward due to prodigious swing, soon she was on target. On the first day of training, batters were hardly able to play the ball,” said Tyagi.

“She (Meghna) is a natural talent and a fine prospect for India. The way she bowled in the Test in Australia alongside Pooja Vastrakar and Jhulan Goswami was great. I am sure Meghna must have learnt many things from Jhulan,” said Tyagi, who has produced many junior India and Ranji Trophy stars.

“She (Meghna) needs more control and that will come with experience. She should avoid pitching the ball short as well as on the leg side. She also needs to learn about the weakness of a batter. Speed doesn’t make much of a difference, if a swing bowler has control over the line and length of the deliveries.”

What works in Singh’s favour is that she has always been a keen learner. “Sometimes, she becomes almost unplayable, especially when she pitches the ball on middle-leg on the good length spot. That’s the best delivery in her armoury.”

Unusually for a newcomer, Singh, 27, was on target in the Test, snapping up the wickets of Annabel Sutherland (3) and Sophie Molineux (2) in quick succession. Molineux couldn’t read the length of the delivery and was trapped in-front of the wicket after Sutherland edged a regulation catch to keeper Taniya Bhatia to an away-going delivery.

Singh was well backed by fellow young pacer Vastrakar (3/49) and Goswami (2/33) before Australia declared their first innings at 241/9 in reply to India’s first innings score of 377/8 in the rain-interrupted Test which ended in a draw.

After the match in Carrara, Australia, captain Mithali Raj said: “Jhulan has always been our best bowler for so many years and we got to see why she was the best. She shared her experience and young seamers Pooja Vastrakar and Meghna Singh were given the opportunity alongside Jhulan so that they learn a lot.”

Former India pacer Hemlata Kala agreed with Tyagi that Singh would do well for India. “I have been watching her since her under-19 days and I am convinced about her natural talent for swing bowling,” said Kala, who took five wickets in seven Tests. She has her own style and needs to establish her own image,” she said.

Kala, a former chairperson of the selection committee, also praised India’s decision to field three pacers. “It shows that the Indian pace bowling attack is growing rapidly. The real test for them would come at next year’s World Cup in New Zealand, where the pacers will really get to check their skills.”

Former India captain and cricket analyst Anjum Chopra also hailed Singh. “She got the ball to swing and was consistent with the line and length in one-dayers. She played a good role in the Test match, too, and it was nice to see her utilise her opportunity on the big stage,” said Chopra, now on a commentary assignment in IPL at UAE.

Speaking separately, all three said there is no Indian bowler who can be compared to Goswami. Tyagi was speaking for all of them when he said: “Not only Meghna, but others too in the Indian team will need a lot of hard work to replace Jhulan. But she does have the ability to become a bowler like Jhulan.”

To that Chopra added: “Meghna does not need to become Jhulan. She should just focus on her strengths and try to remain consistent. Her fitness and temperament will be tested as she plays more in different conditions and against different opposition.”