Smriti Mandhana wants to finish matches like Virat Kohli does

Mandhana is looking forward to taking the finisher's responsibility for her team.

India women's cricket batting star Smriti Mandhana talked about India men's captain Virat Kohli and about her being compared to him. Both of them wear similar jersey number 18 and have wrong-footed bowling action.

Like Kohli, Mandhana is also considered a strong pillar of India's batting line-up. Despite so many similarities, she doesn't want to be seen as Virat Kohli of India women's team and prefers to be Mandhana only. 

Virat has inspired Mandhana a lot and she wants to finish the games for India as the men's skipper does. 

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Speaking to Indian Express in an interview, she said, “I am happy being Smriti Mandhana of women’s team but the kind of batting he does and the way he wins matches for India, It’s very inspirational. I would try and take the way he finishes the games. I would love to do that for India. It’s unrealistic to have the kind of consistency he has.”

The 24-year-old started playing with his brother Shravan Mandhana and that's when her interest in cricket kept growing.

“As a kid, I used to go and play with my brother (Shravan Mandhana). I used to copy him and bat with him. That’s how it all began. I chose cricket as my career when I was 15 or 16 when I scored a century for Maharashtra. More than my dream it was my family’s dream that I play for India and they always supported me.”

Mandhana is looking forward to the return of cricket after a long time. She is excited to travel to the UAE for women's T20 Challenge. 

The Covid-19 pandemic kept her away from cricket and she hadn't stayed inside the home for this long ever. “This is the first time in several years that I happened to stay at home for that long. The first month was a bit tough since I didn’t have the habit of staying at home. But gradually adjusted by working out at home with the equipment available. In the last month, I have started batting. It was tough but also special that I got to spend time with my family. Playing cards trying to be around them.

“I am not too much into Netflix and Amazon because spending quality time with family is more valuable. Just being around them and trying to read some books. I also cook on some odd days and I’m cycling too. However, following the news has been pretty painful. So many heartbreaking stories. Once I read them it takes me 15 minutes to absorb it and I can’t read anything further.”

(With Indian Express Inputs)