Smriti Mandhana was scolded by her coach for copying Kumar Sangakkara

What’s the story?

Smriti Mandhana, the stalwart at the top of the Indian batting line-up for the women’s teams is a huge fan of Sri Lankan legend Kumar Sangakkara. And her fandom led to her copying the copying the elegant left-hander, revealed Anant Tambvekar, Smriti Mandhana’s childhood coach from Sangli.

"Smriti was very lively since her childhood. But at the nets, she was extremely disciplined. She never used to leave the nets unless she had mastered a shot. Later on, she became a fan of Kumar Sangakkara. In the nets, she always tried to copy Sangakkara while batting. Sometimes I had scolded her for trying to copy the Sri Lankan great,” he said in an interview with OneIndia.

The Indian opening batswoman scored a scintillating 90 against England in the opening game of the ICC Women’s World Cup, following it up with a riveting century in the very next match against West Indies.

“She has not forgotten me yet. After scoring the century in the group league match in the World Cup she called me from London, asked me whether she had made any technical mistake during her century. I did not expect a phone call from her,” Tambvekar said, reflecting on the same.

In case you didn’t know...

Mandhana made her national debut against England in August 2014 and signs of her prodigious talent were evident from the very first game.

She scored 22 runs in the first innings and followed it up with a classy fifty in the second. The 76-run opening stand she helped build with her partner was pivotal to India chasing the target of 182 runs.

Since then, the 20-year-old has been a consistent performer at the international level. Her ODI record, in particular, looks very promising. She has played 25 ODI matches, wherein she has notched up six fifties and two hundreds with an average of 37.

The details

Mandhana’s coach also praised her for her laid-back attitude. He revealed that he has never seen her celebrate extensively after a dominant performance.

Praising her nonchalant attitude, Tambvekar said that the 20-year-old was completely relaxed even when she called him after her century last week.

What next?

India will look to beat Pakistan for their third victory in three matches of the tournament

Inda will be up against their bitter rivals Pakistan after quashing the challenges of England and West Indies in their first two games. And Mandhana, who is currently the highest run-getter in the World Cup will certainly again look to lead the Women in Blue from the front, just like her idol Sangakkara.

The last time the two teams met each other was in February this year when India got the better of Pakistan by seven wickets.

Author’s take

Mandhana might’ve set out to emulate Sangakkara, but her immaculate strokeplay all around the wicket reminds you of Sourav Ganguly and Adam Gilchrist. Her backlift is on par with Yuvraj Singh, and her sensational pull shots are a delight to the eye.

The youngster need not compare herself to any other cricketer though, she is set to make and break records by playing in her own beautiful way.