Smriti Mandhana: A star at 28 with plenty to come

Smriti Mandhana, a name synonymous with elegance and aggression, celebrates her 28th birthday today, marking a journey that has seen her rise from a cricket-crazy youngster to a global icon.

Smriti's love for the sport is synonymous with her birthplace Sangli, the same soil that has nurtured countless cricket enthusiasts.

Inspired by her brother, she has gone on to become the youngest captain of the Indian cricket team, ever.

Her consistent performances have earned her accolades and admiration worldwide.

Previous ranked number one on the ODI batting charts, she now continues to be a pivotal figure in women's cricket in the country.

As she enters another year of her illustrious career, the nation joins in celebrating the journey of this exceptional athlete.

From inspiration to impact

Smriti Mandhana was born on July 18, 1996, in Mumbai.

When she was just two years old, her family moved to Madhavnagar in the Sangli district of Maharashtra.

Cricket was an integral part of the Mandhana household, with her father Shrinivas, a chemical distributor, having played at the district level, and her brother Shravan representing Maharashtra U-19.

Smriti's initial interest in cricket was sparked by accompanying her brother to practice sessions, leading her to cut out newspaper clippings of his achievements for her scrapbook.

Slowly, her interest turned into dreams.

Smriti started her cricket training under coach Anant Tambwekar in Sangli. By the age of nine, she had made it to the U-15 Maharashtra team, and by 11, she was in the U-19 state team.

With cricket being the priority, she chose commerce over science, just so she could led more time to her cricketing ambitions.

Breakthrough year

Smriti made her international debut for India at the tender age of 16 in a T20 match against Bangladesh on April 5, 2013.

She quickly made her mark, becoming India's highest scorer in her maiden outing.

And ODI debut followed five days later, and in 2014, she made her Test debut against England.

Smriti's breakthrough moment came during an Inter-State Under-19 one-day competition where she scored an unbeaten 224 against Gujarat, becoming the first Indian woman to score a double-hundred in a 50-over match at any level.

Smriti's first ODI century (102 from 109 balls) came in 2016 against Australia. This contributed to her being selected in the ICC women's team of the year.

She was instrumental in India's run to the ICC Women's ODI World Cup final in 2017 where she shrugged aside an ACL injury to become the third-highest scorer for India in the tournament.

She scored 232 runs in nine matches, including an unbeaten century against the West Indies.

Her performance in 2018 earned her the ICC Women's Cricketer of the Year and ICC Women's ODI Player of the Year awards.

Leadership qualities

In February 2019, Smriti became World No. 1 batter in ICC women's ODI rankings.

Moreover, she also became the youngest T20 captain for India, leading the team at the age of 22 years and 229 days.

Smriti has been a key player for India and has set and broken many a record, one of which is the fastest T20I fifty by an Indian woman.

Despite the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Smriti continued to shine.

She won the ICC Women's Cricketer of the Year for the second time in 2021, and was the top scorer in the 2021-22 women's cricket World Cup.

She played a crucial role as vice-captain in India's silver medal win at the Commonwealth Games 2022 and a prestigious gold medal in the Asian Games 2023 in Hangzhou.

Her entry into the inaugural Women's Premier League (WPL) was nothing short of sensational. During the WPL 2023 auction, she emerged as the highest-priced player, fetching an impressive INR 3.4 crores after being signed by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).

A year later, she led the Royal Challengers Bangalore to their first Women's Premier League title in 2024.

At 28, Smriti Mandhana has already achieved what many can only dream of.

With over 2,000 runs in both ODIs and T20Is, she stands alongside legends like Mithali Raj and Harmanpreet Kaur.

Honours, awards and recognition

Honours:

• Arjuna Award (2019)

Major achievements:

• ICC World Cup Runners-up (2017, England)

• ICC T20 World Cup Runners-up (2020, Australia)

• Asian Games Gold Medal (2022, China)

• Commonwealth Games Silver Medal (2022, Birmingham)

• Women's Asia Cup Winner (2022, Bangladesh)

• Women's Premier League Winner (2024, Delhi)

Top records:

• Second cricketer after Australia’s Ellyse Perry to win the ICC Women's Cricketer of the Year award twice (2018,2021)
• ICC women's ODI player of the year (2018)
• Joint-fastest T20 half-century in women’s cricket (18 balls).
• Fastest T20I half-century by an Indian woman (23 balls).
• Third Indian woman to score 2,000 runs in T20I cricket.
• Sixth Indian woman to score 2,000 runs in ODI cricket.
• First cricketer to score 10 consecutive 50-plus scores while chasing in ODI cricket.
• First Indian woman to score an ODI and Test century in Australia.
• First Indian woman to score a double century in 50-over cricket
• Youngest woman to captain a Test team
• Youngest T20 captain for India.

As she continues to captivate cricket fans around the world, there is no doubt that her journey is far from over.