Northeast India’s Only English and Hindi Satellite News Channel

Will Play According To The Merit Of The Ball: Smriti Mandhana

First Published: 18th July, 2024 9:12 IST

Smriti Mandhana has played 136 matches and 131 innings, where she scored 3320 runs at an average of 28.13 and a strike rate of 121.83

India batter Smriti Mandhana opened up on her mindset before the start of the Women’s Asia Cup 2024 and said that she just plays ‘according to the merit of the ball’.

In the T20 format, Smriti Mandhana has played 136 matches and 131 innings, where she scored 3320 runs at an average of 28.13 and a strike rate of 121.83.

The defending champions, India, will kickstart their journey towards a record-extending eighth Asia Cup title when they meet arch-rivals Pakistan at Dambulla tomorrow.

Speaking on Star Sports, Mandhana said it is easier to bat in the second inning since a team will get the target, which makes it easier for them to calculate the risk.

“My mindset is just to play according to the merit of the ball. Sometimes you bat first or you bat second. Definitely, when you bat second, you have that score in front of you, and you can calculate your risks, and you can go for it. In the first innings, I feel in T20, it’s a bit of a disadvantage that you don’t know what you have to get to. But I think not to complicate it too much, just play according to the merit of the ball. It’s very simple, just keep it simple. I feel like that,” Mandhana said, according to Star Sports.

Leading up to the Women’s Asia Cup, Team India has enjoyed a lot of on-field sucess, like beating South Africa 3-0 in the ODI series and one-off Test recently in June-July and drawing the three-match T20I series 1-1, with one game washed out due to rain.

Before that, India had a successful tour of Bangladesh, beating them 5-0 in T20Is from April-May.

Between December last year and January, India also hosted Australia for a one-off Test, three ODIs and T20Is each, winning the Test match, but losing the ODI series 0-3 and the T20I series 1-2.

All of these series/tournaments will be crucial for India’s preparations for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup being held this year from October 3-20 in Bangladesh, where India will be aiming for its first-ever major ICC women’s trophy.

Also Read: Assam cricketer Uma Chetry debuts as wicket keeper in India’s Women cricket team against SA

COMMENTS

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

WE RECOMMEND

Banner
Hardik Pandya Completes 4,000 International Runs, Joins Elite Company of Indian Stars

Pandya played a knock of 18 runs in 16 balls, with three boundaries. His runs came at a strike rate of 112.50.

14th November 2024
Banner
Jasprit Bumrah to lead India if Rohit Sharma misses first Test against Australia, confirms Gambhir

Following India's shambolic fall against New Zealand on home turf, the road to the WTC final has become a tricky affair.

11th November 2024
Banner
PKL commissioner Anupam Goswami expresses hope of kabaddi making it to Olympics

Goswami said that, "We are very hopeful that kabaddi will one day be a part of Olympics and be one of the medal disciplines of India."

10th November 2024
Banner
MI announces retention list ahead of WPL 2025; Harmanpreet, Nat-Sciver, Hayley, Amelie form strong core

After winning the inaugural title in 2023, MI was eliminated by eventual champions RCB in the WPL 2024 eliminator.

07th November 2024
Banner
Sakshi Malik Claims She is Being Threatened, Appeals to PM Modi to Protect Wrestling’s Future

She revealed that she has been threatened with serious charges of corruption, which has added to her distress.

07th November 2024