“Just because I’m wearing No.18 jersey,” Smriti Mandhana urges fans to stop comparing her with Virat Kohli

Smriti Mandhana led RCB to the Women's Premier League title earlier this year.

By Salman Anjum - 11 Aug, 2024

Indian women’s cricket star Smriti Mandhana is not someone who likes comparisons. Thus, she gets annoyed when people draw parallels between her and the legendary Virat Kohli.

Mandhana and Kohli are regarded as top players in their respective domains, having earned multiple accolades. Both of the them wear jersey No. 18 while representing India on the cricket field.

Moreover, they play for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the WPL and IPL respectively. However, the southpaw doesn’t think such similarities should lead to their comparisons.

“I don’t like comparisons. Don’t compare him with me just because I’m wearing a No.18 jersey,” she said during an episode of Sustainable Tea with Shreya.

Earlier this year, Smriti Mandhana had spoken about the comparisons with Virat Kohli after leading RCB to their maiden Women’s Premier League trophy.

Following the triumph, commentator Aakash Chopra asked Smriti if she was going to give a pep talk to the RCB men’s team as they were yet to win an IPL title.

In reply, she said: “Virat Kohli has achieved a lot. He’s a legend of the game. He has won a World Cup and a Champions Trophy. I feel franchise cricket is a lot more about luck. Hope this cup (the WPL Trophy) has started the luck for RCB. You never know.”

Smriti Mandhana recently featured in the Women’s Asia Cup, where India lost to Sri Lanka in the final. She will be next seen in action during the Women’s T20 World Cup, slated to be held in Bangladesh from October 3 to October 20.

By Salman Anjum - 11 Aug, 2024

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