‘Play As Per Ball’s Merit’: Smriti Mandhana Reveals Mindset Ahead Of Women’s Asia Cup

Star Indian batter Smriti Mandhana has revealed her straightforward mindset ahead of the Women’s Asia Cup 2024. As the tournament approaches, Mandhana emphasized the importance of playing “according to the merit of the ball,” a strategy she relies on to navigate the intricacies of T20 cricket.

Mandhana, a key player for India, has an impressive T20 record with 136 matches and 131 innings under her belt, amassing 3320 runs at an average of 28.13 and a strike rate of 121.83. As the defending champions, India is set to launch their campaign for a record-extending eighth Asia Cup title with a match against arch-rivals Pakistan at Dambulla on Friday.

In an interview with Star Sports, Mandhana shared her thoughts on the differences between batting in the first and second innings of a T20 match. She explained that batting second offers a distinct advantage as the target is already set, allowing players to better calculate risks. Conversely, batting first can be more challenging since the team must set a competitive score without a clear benchmark.

“My mindset is just to play according to the merit of the ball. Sometimes you bat first or you bat second. Definitely, when you bat second, you have that score in front of you, and you can calculate your risks, and you can go for it. In the first innings, I feel in T20, it’s a bit of a disadvantage that you don’t know what you have to get to. But I think not to complicate it too much, just play according to the merit of the ball. It’s very simple, just keep it simple. I feel like that,” Mandhana explained.

Team India enters the Women’s Asia Cup on the back of several successful series. Recently, they achieved a clean sweep against South Africa in a 3-0 ODI series and won a one-off Test match. The team also drew a three-match T20I series against South Africa, with one game washed out due to rain. Prior to that, India dominated Bangladesh in a T20I series, winning 5-0.

From December to January, India hosted Australia for a series that included a one-off Test, three ODIs, and three T20Is. Despite losing the ODI series 0-3 and the T20I series 1-2, India managed to secure a victory in the Test match, highlighting their competitive edge.

These series have been crucial in preparing for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, scheduled from October 3-20 in Bangladesh. Team India is aiming to secure their first-ever major ICC women’s trophy.

India’s squad for the Women’s Asia Cup includes a mix of experienced and young talents: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana (vc), Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (wk), Uma Chetry (wk), Pooja Vastrakar, Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Singh Thakur, Dayalan Hemalatha, Asha Sobhana, Radha Yadav, Shreyanka Patil, and Sajana Sajeevan. The traveling reserves are Shweta Sehrawat, Saika Ishaque, Tanuja Kanwer, and Meghna Singh.

As the team gears up for the Asia Cup, Mandhana’s focus on simplicity and adaptability could be the key to India’s success in the tournament.