Smriti Mandhana has taken the cricket fraternity by storm with two match-winning knocks on the trot at ICC Women's World Cup 2017. The elegant left-hander opened her campaign by smashing a 90 against England in Derby on June 24 and followed it up with her second One Day International ton against West Indies in Taunton three days later.
While the knock against England set the tone for India's match-winning first innings total of 281, her unbeaten 106 against the West Indies was even more special as it came under pressure situation after the loss of early wickets in chase of 184.
While the runs have won her the Player of the Match award on both the occasions, the manner in which Mandhana has gone about getting those big scores has won her a lot of fans. Batting at the top of the order in Mithali Raj's side, the 20-year-old's elegant drives and pull shots have been a delight to watch.
Against West Indies in Taunton, Mandhana left big West Indies bowler Shamilia Connell awestruck in the fifth over of the Indian chase when she collected a boundary with a gentle push through the covers. In a lot of ways, the young Indian batter's style reminds the viewers of Kumar Sangakkara, who was impeccable on off side.
Be it the stylish cover drivers or the way in which Mandhana helps the loose balls to the fine leg boundary, the shades of the Sri Lankan great in her style are evident. Ever wondered how?
Mandhana's childhood coach Anant Tambvekar reveals that the India women star used to copy the style of the former Sri Lanka captain when she started training at a very young age in Maharashtra.
The state junior coach, while heaping praise on her disciplined approach and nonchalant attitude, says not much has changed about Mandhana, who walked into his academy even before she was nine. Notably, Mandhana made her international debut in 2013 and went on to lead India to a historic Test win in England in 2014 with a half-century in the fourth innings.
"Smriti was very lively since her childhood. But at the nets, she was extremely disciplined. She never used to leave the nets unless she had mastered a shot. Later on, she became a fan of Kumar Sangakkara. In the nets, she always tried to copy Sangakkara while batting. Sometimes I had scolded her for trying to copy the Sri Lankan great," Tambvekar said, as quoted by OneIndia.
He added: "I have never seen Smriti being elated after a century or even after a match-saving performance. She always pretends nonchalant. Last week also, after scoring the century in the World Cup when Smriti called me, she was as usual nonchalant."
