‘I educate her and study from her’: Smriti Mandhana’s coaches open up on how the ICC Girls’s Cricketer of the 12 months grew to become a drive to be reckoned with | Cricket Information

NEW DELHI: India’s star cricketer Smriti Mandhana‘s rise on the worldwide degree is exemplary. Be it dispatching the quick balls over the ropes or slicing the ball in direction of the off-side, the 25-year-old Mandhana has been phenomenal and a nightmare for the highest bowlers on the earth.
Due to her constant performances, the left-hander was lately named the ICC Girls’s Cricketer of the 12 months for 2021.
Mandhana beat the opposite shortlisted candidates, Tammy Beaumont of England, Lizelle Lee of South Africa and Gaby Lewis of Eire, to bag the award.

In 2021, the 25-year-old Mandhana scored 855 runs in 22 worldwide appearances, at a mean of virtually 39, smashing one century and 5 half-centuries.
She is the one Indian cricketer to win the ICC Girls’s cricketer of the 12 months award twice. She had earlier bagged the award in 2018 as properly. Earlier than her, the legendary Jhulan Goswami was named the ICC Girls’s Cricketer of the 12 months in 2007.
TimesofIndia.com spoke to 2 of Smriti’s coaches and came upon that getting ready as per the situations, forward of any tour, is the key of Mandhana’s success.
“She deserved the award. She labored actually exhausting for it. I’ve been working together with her for the final 13 years. How she struggled at first, how she excelled in a specific shot by training it for hours, how she ready herself for each situation and scenario – these are all issues she religiously labored on,” Mandhana’s coach Anant Tambvekar instructed TimesofIndia.com in an unique interview.

(Smriti with Anant Tambvekar – Photograph: TOI association)
“She practices as per the situations forward of a tour. If she goes to Australia, she practices with moist tennis balls. If she goes to the UK, she practices early within the morning as a result of it’s fairly chilly and windy within the UK. That is the rationale behind her run-making spree. She practices as per the situations. That is why she is within the prime 10 of the world rankings,” Tambvekar additional mentioned.
Tambvekar first met Mandhana about 13 years in the past when he was the district coach at Sangli.
“Smriti’s father introduced her to me and requested me to teach her. I took her to the nets and located that she was timing the ball actually properly. I used to be amazed to see her taking part in these sorts of pictures. She was a pure expertise. I educate her and study from her as properly,” Tambvekar mentioned.
Mandhana is all set to signify India on the ICC Girls’s World Cup, in New Zealand, beginning March 4. India will open their marketing campaign in opposition to arch-rivals Pakistan on March 6.

“Smriti is in sensible contact. She scored a superb quantity of runs in Australia and within the Large Bash too. India may have a superb run within the World Cup and Smriti will do wonders for India within the event. I’m actually assured that she (Smriti) can be rock strong within the World Cup,” Tambvekar additional instructed TimesofIndia.com.
‘LADY DADA’
For Tambvekar, Mandhana is a mixture of Sri Lanka batting legend Kumar Sangakkara and former India captain Sourav Ganguly.
“Initially, she was timing the ball like Sangakkara. It was simply very related. Now she is superb on the off-side and that appears identical to Sourav Ganguly’s (fashion). Smriti is a mix of Sangakkara and Ganguly. Be it timing the ball like Sangakkara or taking part in splendidly on the off-side, Smriti is simply superb,” Tambvekar mentioned.
Former Indian women’s cricket workforce fielding coach Biju George additionally feels Mandhana offers followers a glimpse of Ganguly when she bats, particularly when she hits the ball in direction of the off-side. George additionally feels Mandhana is an apt participant to switch Mithali Raj, when she retires, because the captain of the Indian cricket workforce.

(Smriti with Biju George – Photograph: TOI association)
“I noticed her for the primary time in 2014. I used to be the lead coach of the Below-19 girls’s workforce in Guntur (in Andhra Pradesh). She was as excited (to play) as she is true now. She was a deal with to observe. She had the identical fashion. She may choose the ball properly and hit it with ease. I nonetheless bear in mind she was anxious concerning the pull shot. Raghu (throwdown specialist) and I used to take her indoors and make her play a barrage of quick balls. She began taking part in these balls large and powerful. Now, if any bowler bowls a brief supply to Smriti, it is going to be a six. We used to name her ‘Woman Dada’,” George additional instructed TimesofIndia.com.
“After Mithali Raj, I believe she (Smriti) is a perfect captain for the Indian girls’s workforce (ODIs). She is the one who’s doing rather well in all codecs, she is younger, she is gifted, she is brainy, she is wise and the perfect half is that she would not get into any controversies. She is right captaincy materials,” he signed off.