India’s Smriti Mandhana has been signed up by Brisbane Heat for the second season of Australia's Women's Big Bash League (WBBL). Since her ODI and T20 debut in 2013, the 20-year-old has played 20 matches each in both formats and is looking forward to add to her repertoire from the experience with the franchise.
Speaking about the significance of the opportunity and the timing of it, she said, “I have got this opportunity at a very young age so it will definitely benefit me. Playing good quality matches against good teams in Australian conditions is definitely going to help me as a player. It will also help me perform better for India in the future.
“It will be a new culture and staying there for two months (would be some of the aspects to get used to). It will be a new team and people. We have never been a situation where we are playing alongside players from different countries, so adapting to that, talking to them will be something challenging and to look forward to,” she remarked.
The other challenges will be that on the ground of adapting to the conditions. “I think the Australian wickets suit my game. You have to counter the bounce over there, so I think that will be the key aspect, which I will be working on after the domestic season and whatever tours we have. Whatever time I get (for practice) I will be preparing to counter the bounce and pace of the Australian wickets. However, right now I will be playing at home and working on that,” she said.
Mandhana, who has scored her only international century in an ODI in Hobart, said “I had liked playing in the Australian conditions. The century will be a confidence boost for me but while the past performance does matter, I would be concentrating more on the matches to come.”
Discussing playing the twenty20 format, she said, “As a player I enjoy playing in all three formats. My batting remains the same across formats, so it is not a big change. There are a lot of challenges playing T20 – like the run rate and the quickness of the game. You have to adapt to the situations very quickly. In women’s cricket, there are (we play a lot) more T20s so it will definitely benefit us.”
While she is keen to enhance her game and compete, Mandhana is also looking forward to learn about other aspects that would help her excel in her sport. “The fitness culture there (in Australia) is very different from India. I would like to train with them and learn a few things which will help me in my batting and my game. Also, of course their approach towards the game and planning for the game is what I will try to learn and apply here,” she said.
