2013 it was. The hosts India did not make it through the league stages of the World Cup. India had so much to look into, and they were immediately hosting Bangladesh. India decided to look for youngsters and a few players were rested for the series, including Mithali Raj. Harmanpreet Kaur was asked to captain. Enter Smriti Mandhana.
Backed by a few good domestic performances, Mandhana got into the team. However, the 17 years old had only two T20Is and one ODI. She had starts but she couldn’t convert any of them. Well, it was a wait for us to see what really Mandhana capable of. Everybody did know she was special and some big knocks were around the corner but we had to wait.
October 2013. Mandhana made a big statement by becoming the first Indian woman to score a 200 in the One-day game. An unbeaten 224 off 150 balls in the West Zone Under-19 Tournament, that really changed things for India. She soon became a regular in the team.
Soon, she made her first fifty in 2014, then a few knocks that followed. A fifty-plus score against England and New Zealand. It was just the beginning.
2016 was the first big year for Mandhana. It all began with Women’s challenger Trophy where she had three half-centuries and was the major reason why India Red won the trophy. She top-scored with 192.
Soon, she had her first international ton in the ODIs and that came against Australia. With a few more good performances in the team that completely fumbled, Mandhana was the only Indian to be a part of ICC Women’s Team of the Year 2016.
She also became the first Indian to sign up for WBBL with Harmanpreet Kaur. However, her campaign ended prematurely after injuring her knee. It wasn’t easy for Mandhana to recover immediately but she did. 2017 World Cup… Well, you know the story.
2018 is the best year for Mandhana. A bit change in her stance and there she was, piling up runs. She was too good that there were no hiccups after the starts. She converted them all to half-centuries at least. She was not only hitting the ball all around but there were some fine touches and the ball was going everywhere. Literally, no one was able to stop her, especially, in the ODIs. Later, she became the first Indian to play in the KSL and she got to fastest T20 fifty. At KSL, she averaged over 60 and had a strike rate just above 174. Apart from that, Mandhana did play knocks where she dragged the team over the finish line. There were times when India failed right after Mandhana fell. She did take up the responsibility to finish up the match.
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India took on England and this time it is an ODI. The team did not do well in the previous outing but there they are chasing 208 this time. There is nothing more dangerous than Mandhana staying at the crease. She doesn’t normally go behind the bowlers but when you see her batting slowing or taking that anchor role, you’d know what she has in the mind. India once again had players coming in, having starts and leaving Mandhana stranded. However, she made sure to wait for the right moment to launch her force and she just hung around till then. She batted for 109 deliveries, scored 86. It was a knock that had everything, including four sixes and five fours. Probably, the best she played in the ODIs. India won the thriller by one wicket.
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It was a T20 World Cup and India locked horns with Australia. Mandhana was so good that Australia knew what they were facing. India lost Bhatia early.
The match was just 15 balls old and we already see Mandhana playing an outstanding start. She should be under pressure. Well, players have different ways of dealing with pressure, and here’s Mandhana’s. She walked down the track, punched a 115+ delivery between the point and cover. Two overs later, there was a glorious drive over the mid-off for four. Australia brings in Molineux. Mandhana showed zero respect, a beautiful swing of the bat and the ball flew over the long-on for a six. Oh, she didn’t stop there. There was a delicate touch to a boundary, the very next ball.
You can visibly see the Australians sweating. They needed to get her as early as possible. Schutt was brought in to do the task. She tried. You cannot blame her she tried. It was just Mandhana and her bat doing wonders. Acting on bottom-power, Mandhana crunched a straight six and followed it up with a late cut. The timing of both the deliveries was completely different and was effective. You should give it up for her shot selection. Perry was punished straight right back for four, Molineux went for a six and Gardner for a four. While we were fighting to choose between the best shot of the match, there was a loft over deep midwicket. She found the angle of the delivery early and got it over the rope with a sweep. As elegant as it gets. Oh, apart from Kaur, nobody even got to double figures in that match for India and Mandhana scored 83 off 55. Just showed us how simple it was and made us all wonder what was wrong with others.
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With Shafali Verma taking the aggressive route, Mandhana’s role has changed now and she is doing it with ease too. With years, I have seen Mandhana growing from a pinch-hitter (literally) to a responsible player who loves to bat through. There is no better sight when she can mix them both.
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For the love of Mandhana. Her drive and her sweep. Oh, she is just 24 and has already broken records and we all know that there is a lot more to come. India certainly badly definitely depends on Mandhana and would be glad to ride behind her back when she drags the team to the finish line. We are looking at a player who has all the shots and has a great sense when it comes to shot selection. However, a few times, things didn’t go her way and I believe it will fall in the right place and there are a lot of years similar to 2018 left.
Happy Birthday!
Image courtesy: Getty Images
