Tracing the Journey of Smriti Mandhana from Sangli Streets to Becoming India’s Batting Icon

Smriti Mandhana has been one of India’s finest batters in women’s cricket, rising from a small-town upbringing to become a modern-day trailblazer. Mandhana was a prodigal talent who transformed into a world-class opener and a global cricketing icon.

Having made her India debut in 2014, Smriti Mandhana steadily rose through the ranks with her consistent performances, cemented her place as an all-format player, and is currently serving as a vice-captain, making her a potential candidate to take up captaincy duties in the near future.

How a young girl from a small town like Sangli in Maharashtra rose to dominate the world stage, while being one of the cornerstones of India’s batting in women’s cricket.

Smriti Mandhana was born in Mumbai and grew up in Sangli, attending local schools and Chintamanrao College of Commerce. The young Mandhana developed an early interest in cricket, influenced by her father and brother, who were local cricketers. After watching her brother, Shravan Mandhana, compete in a local junior cricket tournament, Smriti decided to pursue the sport seriously.

At a young age of 5, Smriti Mandhana joined the cricket academy run by Anant Tambwekar in Sangli, where she received formal training under his guidance and mentorship. This turn set her on course from local nets to becoming one of Indian Women’s batting icons. Her introduction to cricket at such a young age, influenced by her family’s deep connection to the sport and nurtured by early coaching support, laid the foundation for her disciplined growth, which later turned her passion into a remarkable national career.

Smriti Mandhana’s future looked bright when she performed brilliantly in the age-group cricket. At the age of nine, the Mumbai-born cricketer made it to the Maharashtra U-15 team, where he performed consistently before progressing to the U19 side two years later at the age of 11. Mandhana’s early introduction to cricket, when she joined the academy, gave her a crucial head start, allowing her to refine her skills early and excel in age-group tournaments.

Mandhana’s early rise through the ranks of Maharashtra’s age-group cricket underlined her exceptional consistency, as he consistently performed well in junior teams and emerged as the state’s reliable run-getters. With consistent performance at the age-group level, Smriti Mandhana was marked prodigy destined for greatness.

After performing well in age-group cricket for Maharashtra, Smriti Mandhana progressed to the senior side. At the age of 16, Mandhana had her first domestic breakthrough that put her in the spotlight, when he scored 224 off 150 balls in a West-Zone Under-19 match against Gujarat. She became the Indian female cricketer to score a double century in List A cricket, instantly making her a rising star.

Her performance for West-Zone in the Under-19 match made her a local star in Maharashtra, and helped her first catch the eye of national selectors. Interestingly, Smriti Mandhana scored her first double century with the bat, gifted by former India captain and batting legend Rahul Dravid, which became a cherished milestone in her early cricketing journey.

At the age of 17, Smriti Mandhana realised her dream of playing for India at the international level when she donned the blue jersey for a T20I match against Bangladesh. Since then, Mandhana has been a consistent performer for Team India, enthralling the fans with her elegant strokeplay, fearless batting, and ability to anchor the innings, establishing herself as one of the cornerstones of the Indian Women’s Cricket across formats.

Mandhana had her first international breakthrough when she scored her first century in an ODI match against Australia in Hobart in 2016, announcing her arrival on the global stage. Since then, there was no looking back for Mandhana as she cemented her place in the Indian women’s team, making her a key batter in all formats of the game.

During her 12-year international career, Smriti Mandhana has shattered several international records, including being one of the fastest Indian women to reach 1,000 runs and the quickest to aggregate 5000 runs in Women’s ODIs, joint-most international centuries (17), most ODI centuries in Indian women’s cricket (14), the first woman to aggregate 1,000 ODI runs in a calendar year, and one of only two players to score five ODI centuries in a single year.

Additionally, Smriti Mandhana shattered Virat Kohli’s record for the fastest Indian batter to score a century in the history of ODI cricket. She is also the first Indian woman batter to score a century in a Pink–Ball Test, achieving the feat against Australia at the historic Day-Night Test in Carrara in 2021. The records achieved by Mandhana showcase her evolution into one of the most dependable and influential batters in modern women’s cricket.

Smriti Mandhana has had a successful international career over the past 12 years, but her ultimate success came when she became the World Cup winner. Mandhana was part of the Team India that clinched their historic Women’s World Cup triumph, defeating South Africa in the final at the Dr DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai. She was one of the key contributors to India’s success at the Women’s World Cup, while amassing 434 runs, including a century and two fifties, at an average of 54.25 in nine matches.

Before tasting World Cup glory, Smriti Mandhana led Royal Challengers Bengaluru to their first-ever WPL title in 2024. This was RCB’s first-ever title across both the men’s and women’s teams, making the triumph a landmark moment in the franchise’s history.

Smriti Mandhana’s journey from the streets of Sangli to the grandest stages of world cricket stands as a testament to her talent, dedication, and passion, transforming her into one of India’s most celebrated and inspiring batting icons.