Smriti Mandhana Biography: A chic hitter wearing the number 18 is hitting incredible cricket shots. No, it’s not Virat Kohli. This article is about Smriti Mandhana, a talented left-handed opener for the Indian women’s cricket team.
When Mandhana was sixteen, while her peers were sitting in classrooms thinking about their futures, she made her debut as a member of the Women in Blue, wearing black sunglasses. The hot-handed youth was never interested in science or a future career in hospitality.
However, her only desire was to grab the cricket bat and smash the ball well beyond the boundary. Since her debut as a teenager, Smriti has demonstrated an unwavering love for cricket.
Female Cricketer Smriti Mandhana Biography
Early Days
She was born on July 18th, to Smita and Srinivas Mandhana, in the city of dreams. Her father, who worked as a chemical distributor for a textile company after retiring from the district, yearned to see his unfulfilled goal realized through his two children, Shravan and Smriti. Her family relocated to Sangli when the girl was two years old.
Smriti’s brother was the one who got the game going. Smriti used to go with her father while he played for the U-16s. The sister would cut and gather the clippings, thinking, “One day, I thought I should also be scoring runs like this,” while the brother scored runs and reveled in the glory of the local paper.
Her father was always there to encourage her. Srinivas used to softly toss the cricket balls whenever his brother walked to the nets. Smriti, on the other hand, detested her father’s tendency to toss the ball carelessly. Her father soon began to bowl to her from a distance of fifteen yards, observing how well she struck the ball.
Career
Mandhana was selected for the Maharashtra U-15 team at age 9. She did, however, feel more confident because older bowlers were accustomed to facing her in the lineup. Her father was persuaded by her unwavering belief that she had a bright career in the sport.
However, due to his demanding work schedule, he was unable to personally oversee her instructions. Since moving here to Bangalore or Mumbai was out of the question, Smriti utilized her money to construct a concrete training area where she trained under the guidance of junior state coach Anant Tambwekar.
Domestic career
She was already a member of the Maharashtra Under-19 team when she turned eleven. For the first two years, though, Smriti was not allowed to start in the XI. With the Class X boards drawing near, she had a big decision to make as she got closer to becoming fifteen.
Smriti’s mother resisted her desire to study science since she knew she would not be able to manage both academics and cricket. Thankful that she could devote all of her attention to cricket, Smriti’s performances began to speak for themselves.
In the interstate U-19 one-day match in Vadodara, she amassed three centuries and one undefeated double century versus Gujarat U-19. She became the first Indian woman to score a double-hundred in a first-class match with her 224 in 150 balls.
Good results persisted in the next two U19, restricted to specific tournaments, and Smriti was soon selected for the Challenger Trophy. She finished as the competition’s highest scorer in the 2016 Women’s Challenger Trophy, amassing 192 runs. She also contributed to her team’s victory by making 62* against India Blue in the championship match.
Female Cricketer Smriti Mandhana Biography | T20 Career
Following a dismal World Cup campaign, many senior players were rested for the restricted-overs home series against Bangladesh. And Smriti’s first India call-up came in 2013 as a result of her sacrifices and performances. Alongside Sushma Verma and Poonam Yadav, she made her debut.
It just so happened that the field where she had hit her double hundred was also the venue for her maiden match. Smriti hit 39 runs in 36 balls to open the innings with Mona Meshram, giving India a respectable start. The Indian ladies proceeded to defeat the visitors handily and win the match.
Smriti hit her first international T20I half-century against South Africa in Bangalore on November 30, 2014. At the tender age of eighteen, she qualified for her first Women’s T20 World Championship thanks to her steady performances.
She took just 30 balls to achieve a half-century in the women’s Tri-Nation Series against Australia in March 2018, setting a record for the fastest fifty.
She was included in the Indian women’s cricket team for the New Zealand 2022 Women’s Cricket World Cup. In addition, she served as vice captain of the Indian cricket team competing in Birmingham, England, in 2022 as part of the Commonwealth Games.
T20 Women’s World Championships
T20 WC 2014/16
Smriti was getting ready to lead the Women in Blue on the greatest stage in Bangladesh while her college friends were taking their XII board examinations. Cricket player Mandhana, though, was unable to give it her all. With just 36 runs at the end of the event, she helped India lose in the group stage.
Smriti’s results at the subsequent World Championships fell short as the Indian ladies were unable to go past the group round. Smriti achieved her greatest run in Twenty20 Internationals in 2018, averaging 28.27 and scoring 622 runs in 23 innings. In 2018, she amassed two hundred runs and five half-centuries.
India vice captain Smriti Mandhana led the team against Ireland in the T20 World Cup 2023 with an outstanding half-century. Her 56-ball 87 was a career-best score.
T20 WC 2018
Cricket player Smriti Mandhana showed her best T20 self heading into the 2018 Women’s World T20 Championships in the West Indies. Mandhana scored 26 in his debut match against Pakistan and 33 in his next match against Ireland. Indian cricketer Mandhana then dominated Australia in her 83-run Woman of the Match innings as India easily advanced to the semifinals.
While the issue around Mithali Raj and Ramesh Powar persisted, Smriti scored 34 to start the innings. But after she left, the middle order collapsed and was replaced by English ladies for 112. In just 17 overs, England swiftly overcame it to eliminate India from the World T20 Championships.
Female Cricketer Smriti Mandhana Biography | ODI Career
ODI debut
Five days after making her T20I debut, cricketer Smriti Mandhana debuted in the ODI format. In Ahmedabad, Smriti scored 25 runs off of 35 balls to start her ODI account against Bangladesh. In her fourth One-Day International (ODI) match against Sri Lanka at Vishakapatnam, cricketer Mandhana recorded her first half-century.
During India’s 2016 tour of Australia, Mandhana achieved her first international century in the second ODI match (102 runs off 109 balls). The elegant left-hander made her first-ever century in a World Cup game when she struck a 108-ball 106 against the West Indies women in the Women’s World Cup.
Her contribution made the Women in Blue’s triumph easy. Smriti is one of the most important players for the Indian squad these days. In just 74 games, she has amassed almost 2,500 runs at an average of 42.52. 5 ODI hundreds and 23 half-centuries belong to Mandhana. Her four centuries have all occurred outside of India, which speaks volumes about her skill as a player. In Australia, she made history as the first female cricket player from India to reach a century in both ODIs and Tests.
Smriti Mandhana Test Career
In 2014, she debuted on tests at the age of eighteen years and thirty-nine days. Her classmates were enrolled in classes at her hometown’s Chintaman College while she was traveling throughout England. Smriti made her test debut with a score of 50 in the second innings after scoring a respectable 22 in the first.
Considering that at least eight players made their Test debut during that innings, it was a major factor in India’s historic victory over England in the 2014 series. It was the Indian women’s second-ever Test match victory over England, and it came eight years after the last one.
She was also included in the Test team for India’s August 2021 one-off match against Australia. She scored her first century in Test cricket during the opening innings of the game.
Smriti Mandhana in T2O League
Brisbane heat
Smriti Mandhana signed a one-year contract in September 2016 to play in the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) with the Brisbane Heat. In 10 innings, Mandhana scored 89 runs in her Brisbane Heat first season. You’re not seeing the same Mandhana in India!
Mandhana used to come down the order at number five or number six rather than opening, which was the cause of that. In the 2018–19 season, Mandhana made a comeback to the Women’s BBL with the Hobart Hurricanes.
Hobart hurricanes
Smriti’s natural position is to play higher in the order, and the Hurricanes took advantage of it. Smriti amassed 318 runs at a strike rate of 144.54 and an average of 24.46 in 13 games. She was the Hurricanes’ second-highest run scorer at the end.
Injury at WBBL
She was fielding a ball during a Women’s Big Bash League match when she turned to her right and her left boot got trapped in the grass. Her body twisted, causing her to slump to the ground and hold her left knee in anguish. Smriti’s left knee’s anterior cruciate ligament was ruptured.
Even though her World Bank Basketball League was done, she was still wondering if she would be fit for the World Cup. After surgery, she had a rigorous five-month rehabilitation program, spending the bulk of that time at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru.
Smriti Mandhana in Women’s Premier League (WPL)
Smriti Mandhana was purchased by Royal Challengers Bangalore for ₹3.4 crores in the first-ever WPL auction in 2023. In that auction, her bid was the highest made by a player. In the WPL 2023, she was also selected as the captain of the Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Smriti Mandhana at the World Cup
2017 World Cup
In the opening group stage match against England, she won “Player of the Match” for ninety minutes, capping off her 2017 World Cup adventure in style. Against the West Indies, she amassed her second ODI century (106 not out).
As a player, Smriti Mandhana has improved recently and has been the Indian team’s most reliable performance. India may consider selecting Smriti Mandhana to be the team captain in the future.
Due to injury, Smriti Mandhana was unable to participate in the World Cup Qualifier or the Quadrangular Series in South Africa. She scored a 90 against England in the opening group match of the 2017 World Cup. Mandhana was chosen player of the match after contributing to her team’s 35-run victory. Against the West Indies, she amassed her second ODI century (106 not out).
Mandhana was a member of the Indian squad that advanced to the 2017 Women’s Cricket World Cup final, where they were defeated by England by a score of nine runs.
2022 World Cup
At the 2022 Women’s World Cup, Smriti Mandhana hit 123 off 118 balls, including 12 boundaries and two sixes, to record her fifth ODI century against the West Indies.
2023 World Cup
During the 2023 T20 World Cup, Smriti Mandhana served as the Indian women’s team’s vice-captain. Her outstanding half-century helped to steer the game against Ireland. Her 56-ball 87 was a career-best score.
Female Cricketer Smriti Mandhana Biography | Family
Smita and Srinivas Mandhana gave birth to Smriti Mandhana. The family moved to Sangali two years after she was born, where her brother Sharavan and father both played cricket. Her father played district cricket for a while before landing a job in the textile industry as a chemical distributor.
But he yearned to see his unfulfilled goal realized via his offspring. Shravan was the one who initially took up cricket. Smriti took up the bat at the age of six, motivated by her siblings’ success in the state U-16 competitions. Before deciding to pursue academia, Shravan competed for the Maharashtra U19 team.
Even though he works for a private bank now, Shravan was essential to Smriti’s early professional development. He encouraged her to start playing cricket. Furthermore, during Smriti’s double hundred, good fortune and luck were brought about by her elder brother’s present bat. While representing the U-19s, Shravan spoke with Rahul Dravid about Smriti’s passion. A modest Dravid wrote Smriti a note on his workout bat.
Smriti Mandhana’s unknown facts
- She holds Kumar Sangakkara and Matthew Hayden in high regard.
- Rahul Dravid gave Smriti a bat, which she used to score an undefeated 224 against Gujarat in the West Zone U-19 Cricket League.
- She and Virat Kohli have the same amount of jerseys (18).
- Smriti represents Bata’s POWER brand as a brand ambassador.
- She holds Jhulan Goswami, a fellow cricket player, in high regard and sees her as a role model.
- Due to her outstanding accomplishments, Smriti was included in the 2019 Forbes Top 30 Under 30 list.
- She has also represented Australia’s Women’s Big Bash League teams, the Brisbane Heat and the Hobart Hurricanes.
- Smriti has also represented the Western Storm in the Women’s Super League.
- According to the ICC rankings, she was the top batswoman at the beginning of 2019.
- When Smriti was six years old, her brother encouraged her to start playing cricket. She was the only batsman from India to be selected for the ICC Women’s Team of the Year as a result.
- In a match against Australia in Hobart, she struck 102 runs in her first ODI century.
- When Mandhana of Maharashtra played Gujarat in October 2013, she became the first woman in Indian history to score two hundred and fifty in a one-day match.
- She follows Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur as the second cricket player from India to sign a one-year contract with the Brisbane Heat for the Women’s Big Bash League.
Female Cricketer Smriti Mandhana Biography | Awards
| Year | Award | |
| 2016 | Only Indian in ICC Women’s Team of the Year 2016 | |
| 2017 | Youth Sports Icon of Excellence Award | |
| 2017 | Vogue Sportsperson of the Year | |
| 2017 | BBC top 100 Women | |
| 2017 | Wisden – The leading female cricketer in the World | |
| 2018 | Women’s ODI Player of the Year | |
| 2018 | Women’s Cricketer of the Year | |
| 2018 | Rachael Heyhoe-Flint Award | |
| 2019 | Arjuna Award | |
| 2019 | Navbharat Times Awards | |
| 2020 |
|
|
| 2021 | Rachael Heyhoe Flint Award for the ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year | |
| 2022 | Rachael Heyhoe-Flint Award for the ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year. |
