In a perspicacious interview with Lisa Ramuschkut on Season 3 of the Mind Set Win Podcast by Red Bull, Smriti Mandhana delved into her cricketing journey, reflecting on her entry into the sport, the evolution she has experienced, her decision to embrace the captaincy role, and how she strikes a balance between her responsibilities as a batter and team leader. She also shared insights on how she manages the emotional aspects of her career.
INTEREST IN CRICKET
Smriti recounts how cricket has been a constant presence in her life due to her father’s and brother’s passion for the sport. Smriti’s father, who had aspired to be a cricketer but couldn’t pursue his dream due to family and business responsibilities, channeled his passion to his children. Unlike other girls of her age who played with Barbie dolls, Smriti was given a cricket bat and ball from an early age. This constant exposure to cricket meant that by the time she was four or five, she was deeply immersed in the sport. Her early experiences led her to develop a love for batting, captivated by the sound of the bat hitting the ball. This early and intense involvement with cricket set the foundation for her journey into the sport, shaping her into the cricketer she is today.
Smriti mentioned, “You know, my father and my brother were so much into cricket that I think even when I was in my mom’s stomach, I was just hearing cricket and listening to cricket because that’s the only thing, I think. She further added, “I fell in love with batting and the sound of the bat when it came.”
PROFESSIONAL CAREER
Smriti recalls beginning her state cricket journey early, playing for the under-15 team at just nine years old. Initially, cricket was merely a hobby, though she loved it deeply. Unlike other activities like singing or dancing, cricket was the only thing she excelled at. It was around the age of 14 or 15, after joining the senior state level and scoring her debut century, that she realized her potential to pursue cricket professionally. Before this milestone, cricket was just a passion, but afterward, she began dreaming of representing her country.
She said, “I scored my debut century is when I thought yeah maybe you know I can take this up professionally other till then it was just more like a passion, and I love playing cricket but since then I started dreaming as well that I want to represent my country.”
CHALLENGES AND DIFFERENCES
Smriti reflects on the challenges she faced when she started playing cricket, noting that women’s sports, particularly cricket, weren’t as prominent then. Growing up in a small Indian city, she and her parents struggled to find other girls playing cricket and suitable clubs for her to join. Often, she was the only girl among 1,800 boys. Despite these obstacles, the landscape has drastically changed over the years. Now, her city boasts under-16, under-19, under-23, and senior women’s teams, with around 150-200 girls playing. Smriti feels proud to have witnessed and contributed to this transformation, appreciating the significant growth in opportunities for female cricketers.
Smriti stated, “Cricket was always massive, but it was mostly men’s cricket, and we didn’t know which clubs to go to start with my mom and dad always used to go around and ask do you have any other girls playing.”
GROWTH AND TRANSFORMATION
Smriti reflects on the significant transformation of women’s cricket in India over the last five to six years. She recalls how, before the 2017 World Cup, many people were unaware that India even had a women’s cricket team. Today, the situation has changed dramatically, with a growing fan base that appreciates and critically evaluates their performances. This shift brings increased pressure, but Smriti views it positively, as it shows people care about the sport.
The growing popularity is evident in the filled stadiums, with crowds ranging from 30,000 to 80,000 spectators, compared to the empty stands she faced early in her career. Smriti finds the enthusiastic support and the chants of fans motivating, as it drives her and her team to perform better. She embraces the expectations and pressure, believing they push the team to greater heights, making the experience of playing in packed stadiums far more rewarding than performing in silence.
Smriti asserted, “The pressure also comes because in the last five to six years there’s a sudden growth of people actually watching women’s cricket they are attached to where we are traveling and all of that the stadiums from the time, I started it was empty stadiums now we are filling out almost 30,000 to 80,000 capacity stadiums.”
Smriti expresses her preference for playing under the current pressure, as it signifies a remarkable shift from the days when people didn’t care about women’s cricket. She values the enthusiastic reception and the support from fans, as it means people are invested in the team’s success and the country’s pride. This environment, with large crowds cheering for them, is exactly what she and her teammates strive for. She finds it especially rewarding to see young girls turning out in huge numbers to support their heroes, which she describes as ‘pretty cool’. For Smriti, this positive change is worth any pressure, as it underlines the growing recognition and support for women’s cricket in India.
Smriti said, “Where people didn’t care about women’s cricket to playing to this sort of reception, I think I’ll take that pressure any day.”
BALANCE BETWEEN CAPTAINCY AND BATTER
Smriti Mandhana discusses her experience and approach to leadership and batting. As vice-captain of the Indian team and captain of the RCB franchise, she emphasizes the importance of understanding her players’ needs and maintaining a strong connection with them. Smriti shares her approach to balancing captaincy and batting. When batting, she focuses solely on her role as a batter, separating it from her captaincy responsibilities. As a captain, her priority is to connect with the players and understand their needs and mental states to help them perform their best. Her early experience as a young state team captain taught her valuable lessons about team dynamics and communication. She believes in individualized communication, recognizing that each player requires a different approach.
Smriti believes effective leadership involves knowing when to be supportive and when to be strict with her teammates. She acknowledges that she is still learning and improving as a captain. The challenging first season of the Women’s Premier League, where her team finished fourth out of five and lost the first five matches, was a significant learning experience. It highlighted the need for continuous involvement and investment in the team, not just during tournaments but throughout the year. This experience has helped her grow both as a person and as a leader.
Smriti mentioned, “That experience always teaches you a lot because when you’re at that age and you have to lead girls who are like seven, eight years older to you, it really, you know, makes you, like you’re in a space where you don’t know how do you talk to them and, you know, all those experiences have really taught me that actually what the team needs and what the girls need.”
SEPARATION BETWEEN CRICKETING AND PERSONAL LIFE
Smriti Mandhana emphasizes the importance of separating her cricket life from her personal life. She has a rule to leave everything that happens on the cricket ground behind when she leaves, which helps her maintain a balanced and sane state of mind. This separation prevents overthinking and allows her to be in a better mental space. She spends about 20 minutes reflecting on her performance as a batter and a captain, and then she moves on. Smriti is clear with her teammates that while she may not always be the first to congratulate them on their successes, she will be the first to support them when they are struggling. Although not overly expressive, she ensures she is there for her teammates when they need her the most.
She said, “Yeah, I think I have a rule in life that whatever happens in the cricket ground, I leave it there and I come back.”
EXPRESSING EMOTIONS
Smriti Mandhana highlighted the advantages of being in a team sport, especially the opportunity to support and build confidence in teammates. She views supportive conversations as part of her role and doesn’t take them personally if things don’t go well. Smriti believes in balancing appreciation and criticism, taking both in stride without letting either affect her deeply. She finds public congratulations awkward and often feels shy, preferring to quietly reflect after victories rather than celebrate outwardly. Similarly, she doesn’t display strong emotional reactions to criticism, choosing to process her feelings internally.
Smriti acknowledges that expressing emotions through crying can be a challenge for her. Despite feeling hurt after significant losses, such as in World Cup semifinals or finals, she allows herself about an hour to reflect on what she could have done better and how to improve. After this, she shifts her focus back to work, documenting her thoughts in a diary to help her move forward. She advises her teammates against dwelling on losses, believing that self-sympathy hinders improvement. Her practical approach involves brief self-reflection followed by actionable steps for personal and team growth. Smriti explains her approach to dealing with setbacks and self-improvement. After reflecting on a loss, she focuses on identifying areas for improvement in her game, fitness, and leadership. She writes down her goals and action plans to avoid repeating the same mistakes, helping her stay focused on future objectives. Smriti believes in the power of setting goals and the law of attraction, often jotting down thoughts, personal challenges, and inspiring quotes. This habit aids in her self-improvement and provides motivation during challenging times.
She added, “So that really makes me think that okay, this is what I have to do tomorrow, I have to start tomorrow. So, once you start setting your goals for tomorrow and for a week and for a month, I think the loss is somehow, of course it does, deep inside it does affect you, but your mind is more on the goals which you set for yourself for the next week.”
Smriti Mandhana emphasizes the importance of focusing on the process rather than fixating on goals. She believes in keeping her aspirations private, as reflected in her habit of maintaining a diary where she notes her thoughts and goals. Celebrating victories, particularly seeing the joy of fans in Bangalore, is something she cherishes deeply. Smriti highlights the significance of passion in sports, reminding herself and others to remember the initial love for the game that started in childhood. She highlights the necessity of enjoying every aspect of cricket, from practice sessions to strength training, and even dealing with both appreciation and criticism. For her, true fulfillment comes from this holistic enjoyment, ensuring that each element of preparation contributes to the final performance on the ground.
She said, “I think you have to enjoy each and everything which comes with cricket. Like we spoke about appreciation, we spoke about criticism. It can be your strength session, it can be your conditioning session, it can be your practice session, but you have to enjoy each and every, everything you, which comes because the final product is what we do on the ground.”
