Smriti Mandhana, a star batter for the Indian women’s cricket team has said that as they prepare for the Asia Cup 2024, she will be focusing on playing according to the merit of the ball.
Smriti Mandhana knows there are differences between batting first and second in T20 cricket. Going by that, chasing has a goal and it also allows one to take some risks but setting up a target score is uncertain in terms of knowing what constitutes par.
“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 T20 cricket during the first innings I feel like we are at disadvantage because we don’t know where we need to reach but then I think let’s not 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,” she told Star Sports as quoted by ANI.
Indeed her track record in T20I format is impressive having scored more than 3300 runs at strike rate above 120; this testifies about how effective her style of approach could be on a pitch. Her ability to make runs fast yet consistently makes her vital player for India.
India goes into Asia Cup as defending champions looking for their eighth title in a row – more than any other country has managed so far. Recent performances show they are well placed for this contest: South Africa was dominated by India throughout three ODIs winning all of them 3-0 with two ties in a T20 series indicating their strengths across these formats.
Moreover their regional dominance remains firm following an overwhelming victory against Bangladesh in five games played last year (5-0). However losing Sri Lanka’s T20 series (1-2) revealed the areas that need improvement while playing against a higher ranked team will be helpful in the long run.
