Twitterati replace Disha Patani with Smriti Mandhana as India's national crush

Not many knew the name Smriti Mandhana before the inception ICC Women’s World Cup 2017 in England and Wales. The Indian cricketer came to limelight after her back to back sensational knocks in campaign opener against England, followed by the second against West Indies. Smriti made a 90 in the first match and made up for the century deficit in the second match with an unbeaten 100.

India are currently on top of the points table, after their three consecutive wins, with the most recent one coming against arch-rivals Pakistan whom the Women in Blue trounced by 95 runs. However, it is not just cricket fans who are following Mandhana’s innings. These viewers also include those gushing over her cuteness. Apparently, the 20-year old who plays for Maharashtra in the domestic circuit has bowled over many with her cute smile.

Smriti was dismissed on 2 runs in the game against Pakistan, but that didn’t stop her from making headlines on Twitter after the game. Several people tweeted about how cute she is, and her brilliant stroke play. Madhana had not played cricket since January due to injury and World Cup is her first tournament after recovery. “It’s not over yet but I’m really happy that I’ve made a good comeback after the injury. The first match, back in the practice match against England, I was really off-touch and I was very nervous,” she said.

Her batting has made the fans and media compare her to other explosive left-handers in the men’s cricket like Adam Gilchrist, Sourav Ganguly and Kumar Sangakkara. But the latest trend on the social media has it that Smriti has taken precedence over India’s national crush Disha Patani. Boys cannot stop drooling over her cute smile, or how her messy hair makes her look even prettier after she removes her helmet.

Here are some of the tweets that have replaced Bollywood actress Disha Patani with Smriti as the national crush of India.

Twitterati go gaga