India’s Smriti Mandhana is all set to mark her presence in this year’s T20 World cup. As an opening batter for the side, she will also take the responsibility of vice-captain in the ICC event. Smriti was named in the ICC ODI and T20 Teams of the Year in 2019.
In a phone interview with ETPanache from her home in Sangli a few weeks ago, the 23-year-old sounded bubbly as she shared her fitness routine- “There are some days on which we have smart running sessions, which I like. A smart run is to practice running between wickets, so we run the length of the pitch. But runs that are 35-40 minutes long, I find tough. I have to do these at least once or twice a week and I don’t sleep too well the previous night,” said Mandhana.
Recently some website photoshopped Mandhana’s photo making her skin tone lighter, adding Kajal and Lipstic on her face which offended her. It spread like a wild forest fire on social media and was widely criticized. However, she decided not to pursue this further and didn’t give it any more attention.
On the phone, the youngster’s voice changed as she expressed her anger over the incident. In a no-nonsense tone, Mandhana said,That photo was not something that I looked forward to because it was in my Indian cricket kit. When I am in my India jersey, I don’t want to be looking glamorous. Click To Tweet
“I think it is a personal choice of how people choose to look. If you want to look good, you can look good. On the ground, I am a professional cricketer — I don’t need to wear lipstick. If I want to look good, I know when to wear make-up. I do not accept it being put on my face when I am wearing the India kit.” she added.
Mandhana’s teammate Shafali Verma has broken her idol – Sachin Tendulkar’s record as she became the youngest Indian to score an international fifty at 15. Often, people have made light of records made in the women’s game. Mandhana shared her take, “Cricket is cricket. You have to hit the ball. I am not a person who believes in comparison. It is a great achievement. I was there, it was amazing to watch.”
Football on Playstation, music, and movies are ways in which Mandhana relaxes when she is not playing. “I am professional. If I am on the field, I am 100 percent focused on that. Off the field, I switch off. I may think about it [the game] for 15-20 minutes, but after that, I don’t. I don’t stress if I get a 100 or a 0.”
India will look forward to their key players like Smriti Mandhana and Captain Harmanpreet Kaur to lead the team by example and bring the cup home.
Source: Economic Times
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