HOW SMRITI MANDHANA CHEATS
Smriti Mandhana, opening bat, on World Cup memories, being a lefty and that cheat day pizza
You are at the Cricket Club of India. There are only portraits of male cricketers on the wall here. How long before a woman gets up there?
I think it will take one or two World Cup trophies. We will need to win like the men’s team.
Has life changed after the World Cup last year?
We have to be more mature now in public. But I don’t feel the pressure. People are watching us now, and it’s a good thing; it excites us and motivates us to work harder.
There is a wide gap in the salaries of men’s and women’s cricket teams.
The revenue men’s cricket generates is massive compared to women’s cricket. BCCI has increased our salaries. It will increase if we win matches and perform well. People will come and watch us play, and that way we generate revenue too.
What’s your guilty pleasure?
Food. On a cheat day, I love eating bhel or a pizza. I used to love cooking because I used to love eating. I learned how to cook when I was in fourth standard. I even took Punjabi cooking classes in the sixth.
Does your brother Shravan still bowl to you?
Yes, he does. He’s a leg spinner. As a kid, my brother was my only idol. Whatever shots I learned was from watching him bat. He was a leftie, so I too became one.