Bengaluru, September 21
Indian batter Smriti Mandhana reflected on how reaching the finals of the 2017 ICC Cricket World Cup "changed a lot of things" and she returned to India with a lot more followers on Instagram than usual.
Smriti was speaking in a video posted by her Women's Premier League (WPL) franchise, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).
Speaking in the video, Smriti recalled that she did not know how to use Instagram back then, and she was heading into the tournament with "800-odd followers" but returned to India with around a "million followers". She also recalled how magnificent reaction and welcome back home was for Team India, despite losing to England by nine runs in the finals.
"I went into the World Cup, I did not know how to use Instagram. I was not one of those Gen Z's who knew Instagram a lot. I think I went into it with, I don't know, 800 odd followers. And I think I came back with around 1 million. And I did not know what was happening. I think, yeah, 2017 World Cup, I think when we came back and we saw the reception at the airport, I mean, to be fair, as a women cricketer, I never thought that this was going to happen."
"Like, to be fair, I would never ever imagine that this is going to happen to us. Generally, it happens after you win the World Cup final, and people come to receive you. And people are actually coming to receive us after losing the final. So which was, I think, a huge moment. People who have played before that as well, I think they did amazingly well to get us still there. But that 2017 World Cup kind of changed a lot of things," she concluded.
In the 2017 World Cup, Mandhana scored 232 runs in nine matches at an average of 29.00, with a century and a fifty to her name, with a best score of 106*.
This year, Mandhana has been in red-hot form, scoring 928 runs in 14 innings at an average of 66.28 with a strike rate of 115.85, with four centuries and three fifties and a best score of 135.
She finished as the leading wicket-taker in the recent home series against Australia, which India lost 1-2, with 300 runs in three matches at an average of 100.00, with two centuries and a fifty. In the final ODI yesterday, with a 50-ball century, she overtook Virat Kohli to register the fastest century by an Indian in ODI cricket across both men's and women's cricket.
India will start their Cricket World Cup campaign at home against Sri Lanka in Guwahati, with Mandhana needing 43 runs to break Australia's Belinda Clark's record of 970 runs in women's ODIs during the 1997 calendar year, the most by a women's cricketer.
In 16 WC matches for India, Mandhana has made 559 runs in 16 innings at an average of 37.26, with two centuries and three fifties, with best score of 123.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Smriti's humility is so refreshing! From 800 followers to 1 million - that's the power of genuine talent and hard work. Her recent form has been absolutely phenomenal 🔥
As someone who follows cricket globally, I must say the 2017 World Cup was a turning point not just for Indian women's cricket but for the sport worldwide. The quality of cricket was exceptional!
That airport reception still gives me goosebumps! We showed our girls that winning isn't everything - giving your best and making the country proud matters more 💪
While I appreciate the sentiment, I hope we can actually win the next World Cup. The team has improved so much since 2017 - they deserve to lift the trophy this time!
Breaking Virat's record for fastest ODI century is no small feat! Smriti is rewriting history books and inspiring millions of young girls across India ðŸ
The fact that she didn't even know how to use Instagram properly back then makes this story even more authentic. True champion focused on her game rather than social media fame!
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.