Mandhana scores maiden T20I ton, leads India to a 97 run win
Nottingham, June 29 (UNI) Standing in as captain for the injured Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana led from the front in style, scoring her maiden T20I century in the first match against England at Nottingham. Her brilliant 112 helped India to a commanding 97-run victory.
While it marked a significant personal milestone, Mandhana admitted that T20Is don't come naturally to her due to her preference for timing over power-hitting.
"It's a nice feeling because, of course, this format is something which, for me as a batter, I need to keep pushing and keep improving.
"It's not a very natural format for me because I like to time the ball, not a big hitter of the ball, and for the last six years, it's always a work in progress and it's still a work in progress."
The 28-year-old expressed her desire to build on this knock and notch up more big scores in the format.
"So, to actually get a hundred in this format, of course, getting it before in Test cricket and One Day cricket which are more suited to my batting [was significant as well], but getting it in this format is pretty special because it's not one of my strengths. I mean, the improvement and I'm trying to work a lot on my power hitting and to see that come through, which is a really nice feeling."
The captain threw her support behind opening partner Shafali Verma, expressing confidence that runs would soon follow for the young batter. Shafali returned to the Indian setup after being left out in late 2024, but her comeback got off to a mixed start as she struggled for fluency, managing 20 off 22 balls.
"I've seen Shafali bat in the last seven-eight days, [she did] amazingly well in the nets," Mandhana said.
"So I don't see a big knock is too far because of the way she's been hitting the ball. Sometimes coming back into the Indian team and coming into the first match, of course, there are a different kind of nerves. I'm sure this match is going to take those nerves away for her.
Mandhana learned she would be captaining in the first T20I just two hours before the match, after regular skipper Harmanpreet Kaur was ruled out due to a head knock sustained in Wednesday's warm-up game. Despite the late call-up, Mandhana assured that captaincy doesn't affect her batting.
"As a batter, it doesn't change a lot. You don't think that you are captaining and you bat differently. Whenever you have the bat in hand, you have to do the job for the team regardless of the position you are in, so I'm really happy that I could contribute today."
UNI RKM
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India.com
41 minutes ago
- India.com
Anyone Whos Faced Death...: Rishabh Pants Surgeon Reacts To His Somersault Celebration, Opens Up On Horrific Car Accident
Rishabh Pant's surgeon Dr Dinshaw Pardiwala, who treated him after his horrific car accident in December 2022, has given his verdict on India wicket-keeper better's somersault celebration After his historic century in the first innings of the Leeds Test, Pant pulled off a somersault celebration, which went viral on social media. The 27-year-old Pant had done somersault celebration for the first time in the IPL 2025 when he scored a century for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). According to Pardiwala, the Mumbai-based orthopedic surgeon, Pant could do somersaults because he has trained as a gymnast but such high intensity celebrations are unnecessary as it can risk injury. "Rishabh trained as a gymnast. Although he looks large, he is quite agile, and he does have a lot of flexibility. And, that's why he's been doing those somersaults of late. It's a well-practised and perfected move – unnecessary though," Dr Pardiwala Pardiwala told The Telegraph.. Pant was involved in a near-fatal car crash in December 2022, which kept him out of the game until the 2024 IPL Notably, Pant survived a near-fatal car crash on the Delhi-Dehradun highway in December 2022 when he was going to meet his family in Dehradun. His speeding car crashed into a divider and caught fire before Pant was taken to the hospital in a serious condition by two onlookers. He was initially admitted to Dehradun and had to be airlifted to Mumbai, where Pardiwala did his surgeries. Recalling the incident, Pant's surgeon said that the Indian-wicketkeeper was lucky to be alive and he is a much more mature human being now. "He recognises the fact that he was extremely lucky to be alive. He's so motivated as a cricketer. If you knew the Rishabh before this happened, he's a much more mature human being," said Pardiwala. "He's very philosophical now. He appreciates life and everything that goes around it. That typically happens to anyone who's faced death in the face. Someone who's had a near-death experience often gets life into perspective," he added. The India wicketkeeper-batter did extensive rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy and recovered quicker than anticipated. He returned to competitive cricket with the 2024 Indian Premier League season.
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Brison wins Young Player of the Year award
Brison Fernandes' form earned him his maiden India call-up this season Panaji: FC Goa midfielder Brison Fernandes won the Young Player of the Year award at the Football Players Association of India's (FPAI) Indian Football Awards 2025 in Shillong, on Sunday. Winners across categories were selected through a player-led voting process, where active players from across the country cast their votes. Brison played an instrumental role for Goa this season under coach Manolo Marquez where the 24-year-old scored seven goals and had two assists in the Indian Super League (ISL). His impressive ISL form also earned him his maiden national team call-up, something that he had always been waiting for, against Bangladesh in the Asian Cup 2027 final round qualifiers. Brison helped Goa clinch the Super Cup after they trounced Jamshedpur FC 3-0 in the final. Brison was earlier named the ISL 2024-25 Emerging Player of the Season. Awardees: Young Player of the Year: Brison Fernandes (FC Goa), Foreign Player of the Year: Alaaeddine Ajaraie (NorthEast United FC), Indian Player of the Year: Sunil Chhetri (Bengaluru FC), I-League Player of the Year: Edmund Lalrindika (Inter Kashi FC), Coach of the Year: Khalid Jamil (Jamshedpur FC), Women's Indian Player of the Year: Pyari Xaxa (Odisha FC), Women's Young Player of the Year: Naorem Priyanka Devi (East Bengal).
India.com
2 hours ago
- India.com
IND vs ENG: Harpreet Brar Reveals How He Became Part Of Indias Practice Sessions In Birmingham
Left-arm spinner Harpreet Brar, who was recently spotted bowling in India's practice sessions ahead of their second Test against England, has revealed that a text message from skipper Shubman Gill got him to bowl to the batters in the two-day training session. India are aiming to bounce back in the second Test at Edgbaston, starting on July 2, after losing the series opener in Leeds by five wickets. 'I met my friends on foreign soil. My wife is from Swindon. It's quite close - a one and a half hour drive from Birmingham.' 'I was talking to Shubman yesterday and he sent me a text. I thought, let's go and practice there (in Birmingham). It's a different feeling - it feels like we have come together as a family,' said Brar, who played for Punjab Kings in IPL 2025, in a video posted on on Sunday. A feeling of home away from home in Birmingham #TeamIndia | #ENGvIND | @arshdeepsinghh WATCH — BCCI (@BCCI) June 29, 2025 Apart from him, the touring Indian team had the services of Chandigarh pacer Jagjit Singh Sandhu, who is currently in Birmingham due to his cricket commitments. 'It didn't feel like I hadn't spoken to them for a long time. They were all like, oh? They were all surprised. I play first class cricket for Chandigarh. Then I got to know of this and came here to bowl in the nets session of the Indian team,' he said. Turns out, Jagjit knows a lot of members of the Indian team very well, especially young left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh. 'So Rishabh Pant and I played together in the U19 zone one day competition. Shubman Gill was in first season in the U19 zone, while it was my last season in that age-group.' 'I played with Akash Deep in the Duleep Trophy. I played with Washington Sundar in the U19 zone. He was in the South Zone and I was in the North Zone. Arshdeep is my junior. When I was in the U19 zone, he was in the U16 zone.' 'When Arshdeep was in U16, I used to tell him how to bowl and take a run up. He still asks me which ball is better and how should I bowl to a batter and get swing. I feel very proud when I see Arshdeep doing what he is doing now.' Speaking about the feeling of reconnecting with his friends on overseas soil, Arshdeep stated, 'When you come to a foreign country and you see familiar faces, you can enjoy together. When I was young, I used to follow him a lot. His name is Jagjit, all used to call him Punjabi. He was playing in the U19 zone and I was in the U16 zone.' 'I used to follow whatever he did. I learnt a lot from him. He still says that I remember the old days when I was young and new into the set-up. I just want to make more memories like this and collect them for my memory.
