Focus on Mandhana as India hunt for T20 World Cup glory

CHANDIGARH: When in form, Smriti Mandhana makes batting look easy — she has an easy elegance and the runs simply flow. For India to go far in the T20 World Cup, the left-hander will have to be at her best and not just because she is a senior pro but also because of how the team rallies around her.

But just as India prepare to begin their World Cup on February 12, the news that a finger injury during the warm-up game against Australia may see her missing a game or two has sent fans into a tizzy.

Mandhana’s success in Tests, ODIs and T20Is is a testimony of her batting prowess, and the experience of playing in T20 leagues like WBBL, The Hundred, Kia League and also the Women’s T20 Challenge has helped her further cement her reputation. She has played well against the best in the business and that means a lot in the big games.

Tushar Arothe, who was coach of the Indian women’s team in 2013 when Mandhana made her India debut, remembers a shy, spectacled girl relentlessly practising in the nets.

“Smriti came to the national side at a young age after having scored a lot of runs scored in domestic cricket. She had a very limited range of strokes but even then played with a straight bat,” said Arothe, who was also the coach of the Indian team which finished runners-up in the 2017 ODI World Cup. “A calm cricketer, who listened to her coaches and seniors, taking in inputs along the way. She worked very hard on her offside play and in the 2017 World Cup she was the rage.”

According to Arothe, it was Smriti’s 52-ball innings of 90 runs against England in their opening 2017 World Cup game that provided India with the right momentum in the tournament. The left-hander was a last-minute addition to that India World Cup team as she had recovered from an Anterior Crucial Ligament (ACL) injury well in time.

“She has evolved, matured, and become successful in the last decade. Her knock of 90 runs gave India the required push and thereafter, others like Punam Raut, Harmanpreet and the spinners were performing fantastically. She sets high standards and inspires others. She has a calm personality and I have never seen her lose her temper or get aggressive on the ground. And she is a queen of the off-side,” added Arothe.

In 2018, Smriti had topped the run chart in women’s ODIs with 669 runs at an average of 66.90 and was the third-highest scorer in T20Is with 622 runs at a strike-rate of 130.67. She was named ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year and ODI Cricketer of the Year in 2018, then won the

Rachael Heyhoe-Flint Trophy for being the ICC’s Women’s Cricketer of the Year in 2021.

She garnered glory when she was named Player-of-the-Match for her maiden hundred in the longest format — 127 against Australia at Gold Coast in India’s first pink-ball Test.

With five centuries in ODIs, one in Tests, and a strike-rate of 123.13 in T20Is, Smriti goes into the World Cup as a key player. She has had Shafali Verma for company at the top of the order since the last three years and they are a dangerous pairing.

Shafali is the aggressive power-hitter who looks to take the aerial route.

When she gets it right, it gives Smriti time to settle in. In an ideal situation, India would want both these players to click at the top of the order.

“Both complement each other well. It is important when Shafali is going after the bowlers in the upcoming World Cup matches, Smriti plays to her strengths and aims to anchor the innings,” said Arothe.

During the recent T20 tri-series involving South Africa and West Indies, vice-captain Smriti didn’t find her best form. Apart from a knock of 74, the 26-yearold failed to get going and now the injury might leave her feeling a little unsure.

But the big stars have a way of coming alive in tournaments that matter and India will hope Mandhana can rise to the challenge once again.

THE BIG STARS HAVE A WAY OF COMING ALIVE IN TOURNAMENTS THAT MATTER AND INDIA WILL HOPE MANDHANA CAN COME TO THE FORE