![]() My brother was also very sweet, got him to sign it for me. So he gave it to him and signed it with my name. “Shravan met Rahul sir and requested him if he could give a bat. Later, she revealed that in fact it wasn’t supposed to be her playing bat but a signed practice bat by Indian cricket legend Rahul Dravid, which her brother had gifted to her. ![]() A special bat from Rahul DravidĬuriously, Smriti Mandhana’s bat during her limited over debuts seemed a tad oversized for her stature. Coming in at Number 3, the youngster played a handy innings of 25 from 35 balls. INDIA CRICKET CAPTAIN 2016 SERIESOn her debut, Smriti Mandhana was India’s highest scorer (39 off 36) and helped the team win by 10 runs and wrap up the bilateral series 3-0.įive days later, on April 10, Smriti Mandhana made her One Day International (ODI) debut against Bangladesh in Ahmedabad. Smriti Mandhana made her international debut for India in a T20 match against Bangladesh women at Vadodara on April 5. The year 2013 was a breakthrough year for Smriti. It also helped her dedicate more time to cricket. Mandhana went on to pick commerce and would later go on to complete her bachelor’s degree from the Chintaman Rao College of Commerce in Sangli. She wanted to study science but her mother dissuaded her because she knew that balancing cricket and studies would become tough. Soon, Smriti Mandhana started training under coach Anant Tambwekar, a junior state trainer at Sangli.īy the age of nine, Smriti Mandhana had broken into the U-15 Maharashtra side and after dominating senior opponents, was fast-tracked into the U-19 state team at the mere age of 11.Īt the age of 15, Smriti Mandhana found herself at the crossroads with her board examinations coming up. So that is how it started," Smriti explained. ![]() “Because my father had a fascination for left-handed batsmen, my brother and I played left-handed. Interestingly both Shravan and Smriti are right-handed but bat left-handed. ![]() “My father never said no to me, so whenever my brother went for a net session, he used to lob balls at me gently.” “One day, I thought I should also be scoring runs like this,” Smriti Mandhana told ESPNCricinfo. Smriti used to cut out the clippings for her scrapbook. The sparks slowly turned into dreams once her brother started doing well at junior levels and his name used to appear in local newspapers. It was during her trips to the practice grounds with her brother, four years older than her, that the passion for cricket sparked in a young Smriti. ![]() Though Shravan didn’t continue with cricket, his presence in Smriti Mandhana’s life was hugely influential to her becoming a cricketer. Her brother Shravan also played cricket and went on to represent the Maharashtra U-19 team before stepping away from the game and eventually becoming a banker. Her father Shrinivas was a chemical distributor by profession while mother Smita was a housewife.Ĭricket was always a part of the Mandhana household with her father having played at district level. Smriti Mandhana was born in Mumbai on July 18, 1996, but when she was two years old, her family moved to the Madhavnagar suburbs of Sangli, Maharashtra, where she spent her formative years. 1 ODI batter in the ICC women’s cricket rankings, Smriti Mandhana is also the youngest captain of the Indian cricket team - men’s or women’s. From shadowing her brother to cricket practice to becoming one of the cornerstones of the Indian women’s cricket team and the heir-apparent to the talismanic Mithali Raj, Smriti Mandhana’s journey has been a fascinating one.Ĭurrently regarded as one of the best batters in women’s cricket, Smriti Mandhana holds several coveted records to her name.Ī former world No. ![]()
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