Arsheta Kumar

12 Years

54 Years

Chennai

Essay

Who is Smriti Mandhana? The Cricketer Everyone Must Know | Essay | Bookosmia

October 27, 2021

This month, history was made on the cricket field. Are you wondering which cricketer achieved it ? It was by none other than the shining star of women’s cricket -Smriti Mandhana. She became the first Indian woman to score a century in a day-night test and she did this against the mighty Australian team!

Who is Smriti and what does this feat mean? Read on to find out.

Smriti Shriniwas Mandhana was born on July 18, 1996, to Smita and Shriniwas Mandhana. She is an Indian cricketer who plays for the Women’s National Team.

Ever since she was little, Smriti had shown a talent for cricket, after watching her brother- Sharavan Mandhana- play. Can you believe that she was selected for Maharashtra’s under 15s team when she was only 9?

When she was 11, she was again picked for Maharashtra’s under 19s team. Smriti’s test debut was in August (2014) against England at Wormsley Park. On June 18, BCCI (Board of Cricket Control in India) nominated her as the Best Women’s International Cricketer.

Smriti Mandhana - The cricketer everyone must know about

Just a year later, Smriti was awarded the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Award for Best Female Cricketer of the Year. If that wasn’t enough to prove her passion for cricket, she was also the first Indian woman to score a century on Australian soil.

Smriti Mandhana once said “I no longer see myself as a woman cricketer but simply as a cricketer. Why should there be labels when none are required?”

This shows that female players- young or old- need to be valued just as much as male players.

Another lesson that Smriti taught us is that everyone is free to be what they want to be!

She strives to win for her country and justify cricket for both genders alike. Her support for young cricketers is forever lasting.

Hard working and determined, Smriti Mandhana is someone we can all look up to!