'Legend in making' - Netizens wish Smriti Mandhana as star batter turns 26
Smriti Mandhana made her debut for India in 2013.
Indian women’s team star opener Smriti Mandhana turned 26 on Monday (July 18). The left-handed batter has been one of the consistent performers for the Women in Blue. Opening the batting, she has given several quality starts with the bat and the dasher would be looking to continue her good form ahead as well.
The stylish player made her T20I and ODI debuts against Bangladesh in 2013. Just one year after, she was included in the Test squad as well and she played her debut Test match against England. Talking about her numbers in the international arena, the left-handed batter has stroked 325 runs in just four Test matches. She has impressed in the white-ball format as well. Mandhana has stroked 2,892 runs in 74 ODIs, including five hundreds and 23 half-centuries. In T20Is, she has amassed 2,033 runs in 87 matches with 14 half-centuries to her name.
Smriti Mandhana holds the record of being the youngest Indian captain in T20Is
The left-handed batter also holds the record of being the youngest skipper to lead Team India in the T20I format. Mandhana is also the second-fastest Indian to amass 1,000 runs in the shortest format of the game in the international arena. With several records to her name, Mandhana is also a brilliant fielder and tries to give her 100% in the field.
Talking about her early cricket days, Mandhana was selected for the Under-19 team when she was just 17 years old. She grabbed the limelight after stroking an excellent 224 not out off 150 balls against Gujarat in October 2013. As a result, Mandhana became the first Indian women’s player to score a double century in a limited-over format.
Mandhana also has the record of smashing the fastest fifty for the Women in Blue, having smashed 50 off 24 balls against New Zealand. The left-handed batter has also been crowned as the ICC women’s cricketer of the year twice, in 2018 and 2021 and she has also been conferred with the Arjuna Award in 2019.
Meanwhile here are some Twitter reactions to Mandhana’s birthday:
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