Had Smriti Mandhana been a male cricketer, she would have made it big on Page 1 of daily newspapers today. On Thursday, the 30-year-old influential southpaw asserted her authority with a knock of 124 runs against minnows Hong Kong at the Asia Cup in Dubai, which catapulted her to the top of the charts in international cricket. Highest run-getter, to get past Meg Lanning and Mithali Raj, what Smriti has achieved is momentous. But then, the smiling girl from Sangli, Maharashtra, who has been plying her trade for 13 years, showed that records do not mean much.
\n\nThe calm demeanour of the lady was on view as she spoke to the media in Dubai on Thursday evening. She spoke glowingly of Mithali Raj and her contributions. What appealed most was Smriti not getting carried away by runs and tons, now that she has 18 international centuries, across formats. By now, Smriti should actually have been leading India, but the wait continues.
\n\nThe kind of chatter one hears about male cricketers is missing about the Indian women. That is wrong for a simple reason: Indian ladies are today on par with world cricketers. India may not have done well in the…
Original source: https://www.timesnownews.com/sports
