Gautam Gambhir backs Smriti Mandhana to carry Indian women’s cricket for a long time | Cricket News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: Smriti Mandhana led Indian batting from the front in India’s recently concluded pink-ball Test against Australia in Carrara. The left-handed opener’s century in the first innings gave India an early advantage, until inclement weather pushed the Test towards an eventual draw. But Mandhana’s knock impressed one and all, including former India batter Gautam Gambhir, who used to perform a similar role during his playing days.
“Just because she bats left-handed (like me), I am not biased towards Smriti Mandhana. I genuinely believe that along with a few others, she has a pair of shoulders that can carry the Indian women’s game for a long period,” Gambhir wrote in his column for The Times of India on Wednesday.
Mandhana made 127 in the first innings after Australia asked India to bat first after winning the toss. She followed it up with 31 in the second innings and was adjusted the ‘Player of the Match’. Deepti Sharma and Shafali Verma also registered half-centuries in the match.
“Mandhana is easy on the eye, someone who has based her batting on timing rather than power. She operates in partnerships, can place the ball in gaps as if she is operating with a Google locator,” Gambhir added, analysing Mandhana’s game.
“Success sits easily with her and she has recently touched 5 million followers on Instagram. I wasn’t
sure to mention the last trait of ‘The Mandhana Package’ but then my social media team was insistent,” Gambhir said on a lighter note.

It was Mandhana’s fourth Test and she has now scored 325 runs at an average of 46.42, including a century and two fifties. She has also featured in 62 ODIs for India and 81 T20Is.
“I liked the fact that Mandhana is still in touch with her childhood coach Anant Tambvekar,” Gambhir went on to write in his column.
“Sometimes, as the wheel of life gathers pace, it is easy to forget your roots but clearly the lady hasn’t. If I read the news article alright, the coach asked Mandhana to go for a ‘Big Daddy Hundred’ and she obliged during the pink-ball Test match against Australia.”
The pink-ball Test coincided with the ongoing second leg of IPL 2021 in the UAE, but the women’s Test managed to get the attention after Mandhana got India off to a great start.
“It is not easy for a lady cricketer to catch media attention when IPL season is on but this was different. Thankfully, Mandhana’s feat got enough time and attention,” Gambhir mentioned.