All of 20-something, Smriti Mandhana is already taking giant strides in international cricket. She in fact has evolved as the ‘national crush of India’. It seems her looks have helped her in the meteoric rise, but that would be very unfair to say, as her bat has done the talking. The 20-year old Mumbai-girl has already got a century in the ongoing Women’s World Cup, apart from a well-made 90 against hosts England. She has been in the circuit for four years now, since she made her debut in 2013 against Bangladesh. She has also played a couple of Tests which is a rarity in women’s cricket.
Very few who are now acquainted with the name, still know very less about the swashbuckling left-hander who is being touted as the ‘Lady Shikhar Dhawan’, something she should consider as a compliment.
So, here are some of the facts about the southpaw, you should know:
Cricket in her blood: Did you know Smriti Mandhana has cricket running in her blood, yes you heard it right. Smriti’s father and her brother represented Maharashtra in U-16 tournaments and also played district level cricket.
Record To Envy: She is the only Indian batswoman to have scored an international double hundred in One Day Internationals (ODI’s). Smriti scored an unbeaten 224 off 150 balls in the West Indies Zone U-19 tournament. She may have done it at a junior level but what does she have to do if she is young.
The Foreign League: She happens to be one of the two Indian players to get a contract with the iconic Australian Big Bash League. She represents the Brisbane Heat. Harmanpreet Kaur is the other Indian.
Sorry all Bollywood actresses sorry my school crush.sorry all girls becoz now #SmritiMandhana is my crush #INDvPAK pic.twitter.com/9H1XA50aU8
— Jai ho! (@arpithinduporwl) July 2, 2017
Feat: Smriti was the only Indian player to be named in the ICC Woman’s Team of the year 2016. Now, that is a big feat.
Early Rise: She was selected to play for Maharashtra U-19 at the age of just 11. She also happens to be the youngest Indian to score a hundred in senior level cricket. She scored that hundred in Australia at the age of 16, she scored 102 off 109 balls in a losing cause.
