Smashing a maiden T20I century against England was “pretty special” as the shortest format was not one of her strengths, said India’s stand-in skipper Smriti Mandhana after powering her side to a 97-run victory in the opening match here.
Smriti struck her first T20I ton in her 149th game, a 62-ball 112 studded with 15 fours and three sixes, to help the visitors to 210 runs before dismissing the hosts for 113 in 14.5 overs.
“It’s a nice feeling because this format is something which, for me as a batter, I need to keep pushing and keep improving. It’s not a very natural format for me,” Smriti said during the post-match press conference on Saturday.
“I like to time the ball; (I’m) not a big hitter of the ball, and, for the last six years, it’s always (been) a work in progress, and it still is.
“So, to actually get a hundred in this format, getting it before in Test cricket and One-Day cricket, which are more suited to my batting, but getting it in this format is pretty special because it’s not one of my strengths,” she said.
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Smriti added that she had been working on her power hitting.
“The improvement… and I’m trying to work a lot on my power hitting and to see that come through, which is a really nice feeling,” she said.
The left-handed opener, who had topped the batting charts last year with 763 runs in 23 T20Is, including eight fifties, said her celebration after scoring the ton was directed at teammate Radha Yadav.
“That’s actually a funny story. I think three days back, Radha Yadav and I were having a conversation that, (and) you know all these girls are really hard on me sometimes, they keep telling me (and) she was telling me that it’s high time you get a century in T20s,” Smriti said.
“’You keep getting out in the 70s, 80s, and you’re not doing justice to your talent’ and all of that stuff. I was like, ‘Okay, Radha, I will see now. ’ This time, I’ll try and get (it) in one of the matches in the series.
“I did not think that it would come in the first match. The finger was towards her, that, ‘See, I got it today.’ It’s pretty frustrating to get out in the 70s and 80s over the last 10 years,” she added.
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Smriti heaped praise on India’s bowlers, especially 20-year-old debutant Shree Charani, who bagged four wickets.
“The way the bowlers executed the plans was just amazing. That makes our job very, very easy when they bowl like that,” Smriti said.
“They all were really focused. They knew their plans, especially (for) Shree to come in the first match and bowl (like that)… we saw what she could do in WPL a little bit. She always looks like a good bowler. But today, the way she actually bowled was amazing,” Smriti said.
“The plan was pretty clear to try and execute your best ball to Nat (Sciver-Brunt) and give a single to her, which they did brilliantly throughout.”
Smriti said that a big knock from opener Shafali Verma was also around the corner. “I’ve seen Shafali bat amazingly well in the nets in the last seven or eight days, so I don’t see a big knock too far because the way she’s been hitting the ball.”