Indian women’s cricket star Smriti Mandhana has shared some insights on her crucial chat with batting megastar Virat Kohli on expectations and mindset about the game. Her revelations came ahead of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024, which is set to begin on October 3 in the United Arab Emirates.
All eyes will be on Mandhana as the dynamic Indian batsman prepares to lead her team with unmatched style and explosive batting in the upcoming Women’s T20 World Cup 2024.
Virat Kohli is my favorite: Smriti Mandhana
Mandhana, famed for her impressive strokeplay and remarkable consistency, is not just a key player but also a pillar of the Indian women’s cricket team. Her ability to secure the innings and speed up the play have made her a formidable force in the game.
In a recent revelation, Mandhana shared her admiration for legendary batsman Kohli. In a video posted by Women’s T20 World Cup broadcaster Star Sports on X, she openly expressed her admiration for the dashing right-hander and called him her favourite cricketer.
Mandhana also revealed how the encounter with Kohli influenced her game. She shared that she once sought Kohli’s advice on how to tackle issues with her batting grip as well as his strategies to handle huge expectations. Kohli’s response, focusing on delivering what the team needs rather than focusing on expectations, was really helpful for the India Women star.
Smriti Mandhana said: “Virat Kohli is my favourite. I asked him a lot of things about batting. I really wanted to know what his mindset is and I have a problem with my grip which keeps changing a bit, like after every tour, so I asked him about that. And about the mindset as well. We all ask each other that.”
Smriti Mandhana reveals how Virat Kohli’s advice shaped her mindset
She also shared how she found that having a stronger mental approach was key for Kohli to manage expectations over the years. Additionally, Smriti Mandhana acknowledged that she shares a similar mindset and mentioned that listening to Virat Kohli’s insights helped her achieve a better mental state.
Smriti Mandhana concluded by saying, “How can you bear all those expectations when he has so many expectations? And he just said that I don’t see him as someone who has expectations. I just do what my team wants, so that’s something that we have somewhere inside me, but it never manifests. It never manifests in our performances. But after hearing it from him, I thought he was in a better frame of mind.”
Notably, the Indian women’s cricket team led by Harmanpreet Kaur will begin their 2024 Women’s T20 World Cup campaign against New Zealand on October 4 in Dubai. India is placed in Group A along with Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
