India’s star batter Smriti Mandhana praised her opening partner Shafali Verma and thanked her for allowing her time to settle at the start of the first innings against Sri Lanka in the fourth T20I of the ongoing five-match series in Thiruvananthapuram.
Speaking at the post-match presentation ceremony, Mandhana said:
“Batting with Shafali is always a treat for the eyes. The way she started made my job a lot easier. I could take my time, rotate the strike and get into a rhythm while she did most of the heavy hitting early on. We complement each other really well — we understand whose day it is and play accordingly. I’m really happy with how much she has matured as a batter.”
Mandhana and Shafali stitched together an opening partnership of 162 runs off 92 balls, laying the foundation for India to post a big total of 221. Mandhana played a sensational knock of 80 off 48 balls, including 11 fours and three sixes, at a strike rate of 166.67. India won the match by 30 runs, and the left-handed batter was adjudged the Player of the Match.
Reflecting on her own batting, Mandhana said:
“I had plans against their bowling and knew what to expect, but in the first few games I probably gave my wicket away while trying to execute shots I’d been practising. I came here early and worked on a few things, but no matter how much you train, doing it out in the middle is always different.”
It was a record-breaking day for Mandhana as she became the fourth player to surpass 10,000 runs in women’s internationals. After Mithali Raj, she is only the second Indian to reach the landmark.
Also read- IND-W vs SL-W: “We should give credit to Smriti and Shafali” – Harmanpreet Kaur
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