Western Storm’s explosive opener, Smriti Mandhana will not feature in the Kia Super League Finals Day. She won’t play because of her international duty with India.
However, Smriti Mandhana is the leading run-getter in league with 416 runs from eight innings.
She opted for the training session with her India teammates instead of the high voltage game.
As of now, Storm are currently placed second on the table and will play the finals on Monday 27 August. However, Mandhana hit the only hundred of the competition, as she hit a 61-ball 102 against Lancashire Thunder.
Mandhana counts the positives
“I hope Western Storm can defend their title at Hove,” Mandhana said. “They’ve been a very welcoming team, and it’s been a great experience. It’s been fantastic to play for Western Storm and I’ve really enjoyed my time here.”
The ICC Women’s World T20 is just a few months away, and Mandhana wanted to soak in as much exposure as possible.
“When I got this offer from Trevor (Griffin), our coach, the only thing which I was keen was that the World Cup is coming. I didn’t take even, maybe a day to say yes to him, because I was really keen to play this league,” said Smriti Mandhana.
She felt it was a perfect set up to study more on the game. And the potential bowlers she is likely to face. Mandhana added the Indian set up would exchange notes and work on their rivals.
“I’ll be playing the same bowlers in the World Cup. And to play them beforehand would be a really big thing. And I will also be able to tell all my teammates how they are bowling, and what they are strategizing. That was a really big bonus for me.” Mandhana said.
The promising Indian batter had a fruitful time in the Kia Super League. She shared the dressing room with the likes of Heather Knight, Anya Shrubsole, Fran Wilson and Stafanie Taylor.