Smriti Mandhana is one of the most talented batswomen in the world cricket right now. Her off-drives and lofted shots are a treat to watch for the fans. The batting prowess from Sangli turns 24 today (July 18).
Mandhana grabbed the limelight through stellar performances in the ICC Women’s World T20 in 2018. Her 178-run streak in five matches earned her the tournament’s third-highest run aggregator. Since then, she has been the heart of India’s batting.
She is currently the No.4 batter in the ICC Rankings in ODIs and is the only Indian to feature. Smriti Mandhana is also a recipient of the prestigious Arjuna Award. She was also a part of the Indian team which made it to the finals of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in Australia. They lost to the host in a jam-packed Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Here are five facts about the talented batswoman Smriti Mandhana, who has always amazed the mass:
1. Smriti Mandhana has come a long way from deciding to give up cricket at 15 to study science to become the key player in momentous wins in England and Australia at 19.
2. Smriti Mandhana was only nine years of age when she was picked to play in Maharashtra’s U-15 team.
3. Her undefeated 224 off 150 balls in an ODI against Gujarat put her on the cricketing radar nationally.
4. Debuting internationally at 16, her prowess with the willow brought attention to her and she has quickly established herself as a fulcrum in the Indian women’s team. Following her brother Shravan’s footsteps, being nominated to the Team of the Year by ICC was quite a coup.
5. Following Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana became the 2nd Indian cricketer to sign a deal with Brisbane Heat for the Women’s Big Bash League. Later on, Veda Krishnamurthy also joined the league in Australia.
Smriti Mandhana hard work and constant perseverance to work on her game after initial setbacks have made her the cricketer she is today. She will hope to keep her stellar run going and achieve more laurels for her country.
