Smriti Mandhana is the Virat Kohli of women's cricket: Scott Styris

It is cognizance of the fact that Mithali Raj is nicknamed “Lady Tendulkar of Indian Women’s cricket”, as she is now the all-time leading run-scorer for India in Tests, ODIs, and T20Is. Likewise, another name is popping up in women’s cricket, who is being compared to Indian captain Virat Kohli, who is the best batsman in modern-day cricket.

Former New Zealand cricketer Scott Styris has reserved the highest respect and admiration for India’s woman cricketer Smriti Mandhana by comparing her to India’s run-machine Virat Kohli. Madhana might not have upped the ante in the T20 World Cup opener against Australia but has all the ingredients of a world-class cricketer.

Smriti Mandhana has been the best player for her team in recent years by showcasing flair and flamboyance on the cricket field. It is indeed good to see someone like Smriti stepping up and delivering the goods for India. Smriti who is often known for her attacking and aggressive style of batting has quickly become a fan-favorite.

Scott Styris compares Smriti Mandhana to Virat Kohli

During the T20 World Cup fixture between India and Australia, Scott Styris, at the commentary panel said Smriti is the Virat of women’s cricket. “She’s (Smriti Mandhana) the Virat Kohli of women’s cricket. And will be remembered as someone who changed women’s cricket much like Viv Richards did a long time ago in men’s cricket.”

In June 2018, India’s governing body, BCCI named her the best Women’s International Cricketer. In December 2018, the global cricket body, ICC awarded her with the Rachael Heyhoe-Flint Award for the best female cricketer of the year. In fact, she was also named the ODI Player of the Year by the ICC at the same time.

Smriti Mandhana shot into prominence in October 2013 when she became the first Indian woman cricketer to score a double century in a one-day game. Playing for Maharashtra against Gujarat, she slammed an unbeaten 224 off 150 balls in the West Zone Under-19 Tournament, at the Alembic Cricket Ground in Vadodara.

In the 2016 Women’s Challenger Trophy, Mandhana chipped in with three half-centuries for India Red in as many games and helped her team win the Trophy by scoring an unbeaten 62 off 82 balls in the final against India Blue. She ended up as the leading run-scorer of the tournament with 192 runs.