After two fruitful seasons at home, Mona Meshram back at Railways

NAGPUR: A stint, lasting over two seasons, at Vidarbha turned out to be a fruitful one for Mona Meshram. Consistent performance for Vidarbha helped the cricketer get back into the national side. Later on, she also made it to the Indian team for World Cup 2017.
Mona not only achieved personal milestones during this period but also weaved a history for Vidarbha by leading the side to first-ever semifinals in Senior Women's T20s, last year.
After remarkable seasons, she was eyeing another season as Vidarbha skipper. But the Railways Sports Promotion Board (RSPB) decided not to give No Objection Certificate (NOC) to any of the railway employees who currently feature in the Indian squad.
The RSPB's decision had put an end to Mona's chances of playing for Vidarbha for third consecutive years.
Mona, who became the only women cricketer from Nagpur to play ICC World Cup earlier this year, has already begun practicing with the Indian Railways team at Hyderabad.
"I am happy that I will be playing under Indian and Railways skipper Mithali Raj. We have already started our camp in Hyderabad," Mona, who attended a fitness camp of Indian women's team at National Cricket Academy (NCA) last month, said while talking to media in Hyderabad.
"The best part about the current railways side is that most of the players are also in the national team. It really helps in playing as a unit and also in playing at one's best ability. This season is crucial for me and I am looking forward to it," she added.
Mona, a member of the Indian team that finished runners-up in the ICC World Cup in England, was almost down and out when she returned to the Vidarbha fold. She was dropped from the Indian team just after the 2013 World Cup and subsequently from the railways side too.
The slump in form prompted Mona to return to her roots. The move to Vidarbha brought her career right back on track. In 2015-16, her first season after Vidarbha return, playing for Central Zone in Inter-Zonal meet led to turnaround in Mona's fortunes.
After being in the wilderness for four years, Mona hammered 490 runs in four matches to script her comeback. The superlative performance brought her back in the national picture.
The next season saw the middle-order batswomen storm in to the national side. Captaining Vidarbha in Senior Women's One-day Tournament, Mona amassed 225 runs in five matches.
She followed it by scoring 265 runs in six matches of the Senior Women's T20 Tournament. The T20 meet saw Vidarbha making history by reaching semifinal of a BCCI tournament for the first time.
Riding on such consistent show, Mona was named in World Cup qualifiers in Sri Lanka and later in the World Cup team.
The two successful seasons helped the right-handed batswoman develop good relations with local cricketers and administrators and Mona feels she would miss them.
"I will definitely miss Vidarbha team. The girls were hardworking and we clicked as a unit. However, as a professional cricketer, I have to take things in my stride and focus on giving my best wherever I go," she said.