Meghna Singh

Some Lesser Known Facts About Meghna Singh

• Meghna Singh is an Indian cricketer who is the second female from Uttar Pradesh to have been selected to play for the national team.

• She plays for the Railways women’s cricket team.

  

• She has been passionate about cricket since childhood, and she grew up playing cricket with the children of her locality in UP.

• She used to play with the boys’ cricket team because of the lack of a girls’ cricket team in her area. In an interview, her mother revealed,
  

  She used to be the only girl playing with boys in our area.”

• She started taking professional cricket training in 2007 from Lakshyaraj Tyagi, who is known for producing various Ranji Trophy players for Uttar Pradesh. In an interview, her father disclosed,
  

  I always supported her passion for the game, never stopped her from playing. She was 10 when she started playing. Only after seeing her dedication for the game did I take her to Tyagi sir”

• In an interview, her coach said,
  

  Her passion for the sport was amazing when she came to me for the first time in 2007 along with her father. She would come to the stadium daily in both sessions without a break. In fact, I was surprised (when I saw) Meghna’s style of gripping the red cherry for the first time. Though her early deliveries at the nets 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,”

• According to various media reports, Meghna followed strict discipline to achieve her goals. She used to wake up at 4 in the morning daily. Reportedly, it was her father, who supported her in achieving her dreams. He used to daily take her from Kasba Kotwali to Nehru Stadium in Bijnore, which is roughly 24 kilometres, for cricket practice. He used to repeat this routine in the evening as well. ^[1]Hindustan Times

• She received a job opportunity as a booking clerk in Muradabad Railways in her struggling days. ^[2]Haribhoomi

• She caught the attention of the selectors in the Women’s Senior T20 Trophy 2019-20, when she picked 4 wickets with her outswing bowling and led her team to qualify for the semifinals of the tournament. She racked up a total of 10 wickets by the end of the tournament.

  

• In August 2021, she earned her maiden call-up to the India women’s cricket team for all three formats for their tour of Australia in September and October.

• In an interview, her coach said,
  

  It’s the best opportunity for her to make her presence felt and stake a claim for a berth in the Indian team… She has the ability. I am sure she will come up with a good show in Australia.”

• In January 2022, she was named in India’s team for the 2022 Women’s Cricket World Cup in New Zealand and was also named in India’s Women’s Twenty20 International (WT20I) squad for their one-off match against New Zealand.

• When Meghna’s family saw her donning the Indian jersey, they could not believe it. In a media interaction, her mother expressed,
  

  We never thought she will play the World Cup, but today we are proud to see her donning the India jersey. A lot will change in terms of respect, money and status if Meghna does well in New Zealand and India win the World Cup,”

  

• Filled with immense pride, her mother revealed that her family eagerly waits to watch Meghna playing on TV. In an interview, she said,
  

  Even during the series against New Zealand preceding the World Cup, we all woke up at odd hours to watch every match”

• Meghna Singh also acts as a batter for the lower order. According to her coach,
  

  She bowls a good length and that entices batters to go for strokes, they ordinarily wouldn’t. Besides this, she is a useful batter, who can hold together an innings in the lower order and can increase the tempo too. Her performances in the Senior Women’s One Day Challenger Trophy were examples of this,”

  

• She received her debut cap from the national cricket team’s skipper, Mithali Raj.

  

• Meghna is a die-hard tea lover.

• She keeps a constant check on her fitness and is often spotted working out in her gym.

  

• She is an animal lover, and she often posts pictures of petting them on her social media handle.

  

• On 9 December 2023, Meghna was acquired by Gujarat Giants in the 2024 Women’s Premier League auction for a fee of Rs. 30 lakh; the auction was held in Mumbai.