Smriti Mandhana aims to ‘keep pushing’ after record-breaking T20I century against England

NOTTINGHAM: India’s stand-in captain, Smriti Mandhana, is looking for more success after blazing her way to her first T20I century during the series opener against England in Nottingham.

Mandhana, who served as the stand-in skipper in the absence of injured Harmanpreet Kaur, led from the front as India kicked off the series with a thumping 97-run victory. With her flamboyant batting skills on display, Mandhana hammered 112 from 62 deliveries to power India to a daunting 210/5 in the first innings.

Despite her record-shattering display, Mandhana revealed that T20Is don’t naturally come to her due to her preference for timing over power-hitting. After getting a taste of striking a high score and breaking records, the 28-year-old southpaw is now aiming to replicate high-scoring performances in the future.

𝙎𝙢𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙞 𝙈𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙖 𝙠𝙖 𝙈𝙖𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙣 𝙏20𝙄 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙩𝙖𝙠 𝙁𝙪𝙡𝙡 𝘿𝙝𝙖𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙖!

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“It’s a nice feeling because, of course, this format is something which, for me as a batter, I need to keep pushing and keep improving. It’s not a very natural format for me because I like to time the ball, not a big hitter of the ball, and for the last six years, it’s always a work in progress, and it’s still a work in progress”, she said as quoted by the ICC.

“So, to actually get a hundred in this format, of course, getting it before in Test cricket and One Day cricket, which are more suited to my batting [was significant as well], but getting it in this format is pretty special because it’s not one of my strengths. I mean, the improvement, and I’m trying to work a lot on my power hitting and to see that come through, which is a really nice feeling”, she added.

In the series opener, young Shafali Verma returned to the Indian setup for the first time after being dropped in late 2024. Her return didn’t begin on a sparkling note as she struggled for rhythm and returned to the dressing room with a scratchy knock of 20(22). Despite an unimpressive outing, Mandhana exuded confidence in the youngster.

“I’ve seen Shafali bat in the last seven-eight days, [she did] amazingly well in the nets. So I don’t see a big knock is too far because of the way she’s been hitting the ball. Sometimes, coming back into the Indian team and coming into the first match, of course, there are a different kind of nerves. I’m sure this match is going to take those nerves away for her,” she said.

After taking a 1-0 lead, India will look to extend it in the second contest, which is scheduled to take place on Tuesday at the Seat Unique Stadium in Bristol. (ANI)