India’s Smriti Mandhana has already scored a fifty and a hundred in the two matches she has played at the Women’s World Cup, making an emphatic return to the Indian team after being away for half a year. She made a swashbuckling 90 in the first match against England that set up India’s 35-run win over the hosts, and followed it with a steady, well-crafted ton against West Indies.
But the 20-year-old is not content only with scoring big runs, her eye is focused on the big prize – the World Cup. “I’m not satisfied at all, I haven’t worked really hard for the last five months to get fit just for a 90 or a hundred. I want to do well for India and win the World Cup for India. That’s what I’ve been craving for the last five months,” she told ICC after guiding India’s comprehensive seven-run win over West Indies on Thursday.
Mandhana admits she was nervous heading into the World Cup with very little match practice. The left-hander had torn her meniscus and ACL in her left knee while playing for Brisbane Heat in this year’s Women’s Big Bash League. The injury was acute and needed surgery that had kept her away from cricket since January. However, she did not give up and underwent intense rehab to be fit for this tournament and her hard work seems to have paid off.
“I was determined to do well to show (the selectors) that they made the correct decision,” she “It was really tough coming out of the injury but I’m really happy I’ve done enough in two matches for India and hopefully I can continue that form,’ Mandhana added.
For most players, a debilitating injury and surgery at the age of 20 would have been a major obstacle to overcome, but Mandhana walked right back into the team and waltzed into form at a stage as big as the World Cup. In the process, she became the youngest Indian to score a World Cup century. A lot of this confidence can be attributed to the hard work she did during her injury layoff, using the time way from the game constructively to work on the technicalities of her game.
“While I was injured I made sure that I worked on my weaknesses. Many people have seen my game so I worked on that. I tried not to play too many shots because I had a habit of playing too many shots after getting set. That was the thing I worked on in the last two or three months,” Mandhana said after scoring her second ODI hundred.
With 196 runs and two Player of the Match awards already, it’s evident that Mandhana will be the key player in India’s campaign in England.