By far, India women team batter Smriti Mandhana has done an outstanding job for her team, as per capability. Known for her cricketing charisma, Mandhana has achieved plenty during the young day of her international career. And this is not an end, she is keen to shoulder responsibility like Team India skipper Virat Kohli, who is known for finishing games, too.
Smriti Mandhana on the mental aspect:
Owing to an appetite for runs, the 22-year-old Mumbai-born Mandhana is a mentally tough character who subsequently takes challenges head-on.
“The change was mental, rather than technical. The focus has been to not be just a batter, [but to ensure] that you don’t throw away your wicket. And also to get the team through. That’s the kind of responsibility you have in your head and you select your shots accordingly,” Mandhana told Sportstar.
Mandhana, who boasts about a decent strike-rate further, has been known for providing starts for the team. However, she believes there lay more than just a performance ahead.
“At a certain point in your career, you need to look at yourself and see where you are. I did that, may be a year-and-a-half or two back, and realised that you can’t be just a performer, you need to be a match-winner for India,” Mandhana remarked.
Finish games like Virat Kohli:
In March, this year, Mandhana has led Indian women’s team in the three-match series after she was appointed as a skipper in the T20I fold.
Talking regarding her role, Mandhana is eyeing to win games for her side. On these lines, the promising youngster has worked on her game thoroughly.
“The way Virat [Kohli] finishes matches, I would like to take a leaf out of it,” Mandhana added.
Since 2018, Mandhana has proven to be a driving force for the Indian women’s cricket. She has secured No.1 spot as a batter in the ODI rankings for women’s team. Besides, Mandhana has claimed the third spot in the T20I ICC Women’s rankings.
The left-handed batter Mandhana has recorded 1,018 came since January 2018 in just 18 ODIs at an exceptional average of 67.86.
In between, marching to achieve milestones, Mandhana has slammed 10 fifties and two tons since past 16-odd months.
Apart from the tweaking of a game, Mandhana is of the opinion that things always don’t fall in your way.
“When you have all the shots in your bag, it can be your strength as well as your weakness,” Mandhana said.
On the other side, Kohli over the years has set benchmarks for a younger lot.
He has achieved milestones by showing a remarkable grit and passion to lead his team, that too, apart from his assigned task as a skipper.
In 2018, Mandha has laid hands on multiple trophies which include ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year, ODI Cricketer of the Year. She has bagged the Rachael Heyhoe-Flint Award.
In conclusion, Mandhana feels the awards motivate professionals but their main aim is to maintain integrity and live up to the expectations.
So far, Mandhana has featured in 58 T20Is, 50 ODIs and two Tests for Indian women’s team.