Smriti Mandhana – India’s upcoming superstar
2021 was a year to remember for Smriti Mandhana as the batter piled up a plethora of runs and shattered many records. The same earned her the Rachael Heyhoe-Flint Trophy for being the ICC’s Women’s Cricketer of the Year. Having previously bagged the honour in 2018, Mandhana became only the second women’s player, after Australia all-rounder Ellyse Perry, to win the highest individual distinction more than once.
Notably, Mandhana was also nominated for the Women’s T20I Player of the Year award, but England’s Tammy Beaumont pipped her to get the trophy. Mandhana was, however, named in the ICC Women’s T20I Team of the Year. Now, 2021 wasn’t a year where the Indian women’s team enjoyed a gala time. However, this didn’t stop Mandhana from raising her stocks even further.
Smriti Mandhana and her tendency to shine against the odds
India won just two of the eight limited-overs matches against South Africa at home. While Mandhana made an unbeaten 80 as India chased down 158 in the second ODI, she scored 48 not out in the win in the final T20I. The southpaw also scored a sublime 78 in the one-off Test against England, helping India avoid a defeat.
It certainly takes some character to perform when the team isn’t doing well. This shows the opener has what it takes to become the best in the business. With over 4,500 international runs under her belt, Mandhana has already become a proven star in the international arena. In fact, she is arguably the best batter going around.
However, considering that she is just 25, the batter has a long way to go and it would be exciting to see where she ends up. Having led India before, Mandhana is also the vice-captain of the T20I team. Hence, she is all but certain to lead the Indian team at some point in time. Hence, some substantial challenges are ahead of the batting sensation and several aspects of her game will be tested.
The batter’s current focus would be doing well in the Women’s World Cup 2022. Mandhana was impressive with the bat in the 2017 edition, where India finished as the runners-up. However, the opener would now like to take the Women in Blue to the elusive title.
