It's July 18, and it also happens to be the birthday of Indian women's cricket team opening batswoman, Smriti Mandhana. The swashbuckling and elegant left hander turns 23 today. Since making her international debut in 2013, she has gone from strength to strength.?
ESPNcricinfo
We have seen the aggressor in her - going out with intent, putting bowlers under pressure, and hammering it all around the ground. Last few years have been productive for our girl from Maharashtra, this being backed by the fact that she is the number 1 ranked ODI player in the world. There is no doubting her cricketing talents, we have been treated to it, on number of occasions. But did you know what she is like off the field. Let us tell you. Here are the 7 interesting facts about our dashing opening batswoman:
Smriti' father and brother both were district-level cricket players, but left cricket after some time. It runs in the family, cricket blood. She was inspired after watching her brother play in an U-16 tournaments. And it was start of a special journey, that we hope continues for as long as possible.?
NDTV Sports
When Smriti was 15, she decided to give up cricket, only to pick it up again a year later. And we couldn't be more thankful. *sigh of relief*
Zee News
Her cricketing inspiration is Sri Lankan legend, Kumara Sangakkara, and she often copies his style of play, in the nets. She is so used to doing it, that at times the coaches have to tell her not to do it. But it's not a bad inspiration to have, we all know the class of Sangakkara.??
myKhel
We have known this for a while that sports stars have a very strict diet, and are very specific about it. What does Smriti's diet look like? Well, protein powder, protein bars, fish-oil tablets, eggs, and soyabean. That is a regular. She avoids maida [wheat flour]. Take note, people.
Hindi Panda
After completing her 10th, she was interested in taking up science. But it was her mother who convinced her to take commerce, as she thought Smriti would't be able to balance her studies with cricket. Now, that's a nice mom.?
New Indian Express
She first skipped her class 12 board exams for World T20 Cup 2014, missing an entire academic year, and then had to forego admissions into the college course she wanted to enroll for a tour of England.
Verve Magazine
We all love music, and Smriti is no different. Apparently, she is a big fan of Arijit Singhs' songs. Oh, that soulful voice. She also loves reading books and binge eating on street food. One of us, she truly is.
CricketCounty