Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) captain Smriti Mandhana oozes class with the bat in the ongoing game against UP Warriorz. The eleventh match of the Women’s Premier League will be played at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
After suffering two consecutive defeats, Smriti Mandhana made sure to hold her own for her team in the must-win match. Opening the batting, he played a magnificent innings at the top and ensured that his team posted a fighting total on the board against UP Warrioz.
Smriti Mandhana played some blistering knocks in her innings and put pressure on the opposition bowlers. The captain led from the front and made sure to entertain the crowd at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, which is the home ground of RCB.
While her class with the bat was unmatched, Smriti Mandhana made sure to give Deepti Sharma a taste of her own medicine. Before the fourth ball of the 11th over, UP spinner Warrioz played mind games with the RCB captain as she jumped before bowling the ball.
Smriti Mandhana then made sure to play the mind games too. The RCB women’s batsman then walked out and lifted the crowd. The video of the incident went viral on the Internet in no time. Here is the video:
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Smriti giving Deepti a taste of her own medicine 😅#TATAWPL #UPWvRCB #TATAWPLonJioCinema #TATAWPLonSports18 #HarZubaanParNaamTera#JioCinemaSports #CheerTheW pic.twitter.com/iGPB0Tjo0v
– JioCinema (@JioCinema) March 4, 2024
Deepti Sharma had the last laugh in the battle against Smriti Mandhana as she eliminated the RCB captain. During the 17th over, the all-rounder bowled a full delivery just outside off to which the batsman shuffled his feet through a touch and ducked looking to sweep hard over deep mid-wicket.
But she didn’t get the desired connection and they picked the fielder, who caught the ball to end Smriti Mandhana’s magnificent innings. The RCB captain finished with an innings of 80 runs off 50 balls and also hit 10 fours and 3 sixes in her innings.
When I came into the game today, I was very focused – Smriti Mandhana
Smriti Mandhana spoke about her innings after the first innings. She said she was focused coming into the game since the last two games hurt them. She added that more than bagging the orange cap, she is happy with the team’s total.
Smriti Mandhana also spoke about the decision to open with Sabbhineni Meghana, saying that it was a team decision and they wanted Sophie Devine to get a chance in the middle order. Speaking to the stations, she said:
“When I came into the game today, I was very focused. The last two defeats hurt us a lot. We wanted to express ourselves regardless of whether we batted first or second. More than the orange cap, I am very happy that we can get 190+. It’s still the first match, we have to bowl well. The wicket held a little, we stepped back to shoot. That was the talk in the locker room.
“(Opening with Sabbhineni Meghana) was a team decision, nothing to do with Sophie (Devine). Sophie is an incredible player. We have a lot of trust and faith in her. She has batted a lot in two attempts in the international circuit, we thought it would be a great opportunity for her in the middle order to get some runs under her belt. It is still a long tournament,” she concluded.