Smriti Mandhana names her cricket idol

Smriti Mandhana has scored a record 387 runs in eight matches in the Kia Super League T20 tournament in England.

Smriti Mandhana poses for a click with Kumar Sangakkara | Instagram

Smriti Mandhana, the classical left-handed opener of the Indian Women’s Cricket Team, has revealed on Tuesday (14 August) that she is the biggest fan of Sri Lankan batting great Kumar Sangakkara, as well as, called him as her inspiration.

She is currently busy in playing in the Kia Super League T20 tournament in England, where she got a golden chance to meet his idol and she termed the meeting as a ‘confidence booster’ before the ICC Women’s World T20 in November.

Smriti told bcci.tv, “I have been a huge fan of Sangakkara Sir, since I started watching cricket on the TV. Whenever I do not feel good about my batting I go back and watch his clips. He was commentating on our game (in the Super League) and I asked him ‘do you feel anything wrong in my batting which I can improve on’?”

Recalling her meeting with Sangakkara in England, Smriti said he was all praise for her batting, “He was like… ‘you are in a very good touch and if you are thinking too much about it then you will definitely not bat the way you are (batting right now). Just go out there, the way you are batting I do not think there is anything there’. So that was something really good to know from a legend like Sangakkara Sir, that he likes my batting, drives and all that stuff. That was a really good confidence booster for me and meeting your idol is always good.”

On being asked about her experience of playing in the Kia Super League, Smriti signed off by saying, “I was very keen to play in this league because I will be playing the same bowlers in the World Cup. After playing (against) them I will also be able to tell my team how they are bowling or what they are strategizing.”

 

 
 

By Rashmi Nanda - 15 Aug, 2018

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