Exclusive Interview with Smriti Mandhana: "Winning the Wormsley Test against England in 2014 is the best feeling I have ever had on the field yet"
It was 16th of August 2014. The Indian Men's Cricket team were playing England at The Oval and found themselves in a dire position after having suffered yet another batting failure and then were chasing leather in the field.
The hundreds of ardent fans gathered in this majestic venue located in South London had nothing but disappointment on their faces. India were staring down the barrel and it seemed like there was no end to this misery.
Except that there actually was one small yet an extremely significant event of Indian interest happening at the Wormsley cricket park in far away Buckinghamshire.
The Indian Women's cricket team, not always the ones who overshadow their male counterparts, were putting on a show that would have warmed the most tearful of Indian hearts.
The bowlers had done their bit and on exactly the same day as the MS Dhoni-led outfit were finding themselves with their backs against the walls, the Mithali Raj-led Indian side was on the cusp of something huge.
But in order to achieve that feat, they needed to get a mere 181 against a potent English bowling attack.
Out walked Thirush Kamini, known for her aggressive instincts and joining her was a bespectacled 18-year-old, making her debut for India.
Smriti Mandhana had made 22 in the first innings of this game and walked out with her senior partner, to face perhaps the biggest Test of her career in her very first game.
The left-hander, however, remained calm as a pro when she went into the middle.
"I didn't think so many things when I walked out.I was just looking at the total we were chasing. I forgot that it was my debut. I forgot everything or we were playing in England.
"It was important for India to win that game since we were playing a Test after 8 years. When I went into bat, I was timing the ball very well and it came off.
"It would have been better had I carried on, but those 51 runs were really crucial for me and for my team and it helped us win a Test match. Winning a Test match on my debut is the best feeling I have ever had on the field yet," the soft-spoken Mandhana told Sportskeeda in a telephonic interview.
The opening batswoman hails from Sangli, a town in Maharashtra known for its excellent quality of turmeric and cricket isn't something that has ever been associated with the place.
Mandhana's elder brother Shravan was a budding cricketer, who was among the highest run-getters in the Under-16 level for Maharashtra. However, he could not fulfill his ambitions, but ensured that his dreams were pursued and eventually achieved by his younger sister.
"My father and my brother would play the game and I would just accompany my brother for practice and slowly, I began to develop an interest in the game.
"Sangli maybe a small town, but there are plenty of clubs and academies and there were many boys playing, so I would always play with the boys. Ground facilities-wise yes, it was average, but when it comes to the talent that kids possess here, it is the same as any other big city," she added.
Opening the batting is often considered to be a specialist role. It requires a player to have a certain level of focus, concentration and patience. In such a case, a player needs to have certain routines to have the right mindset.
The left-hander revealed that she did not have a major routine and mainly looked to have a quiet space of her own before a game.
"I like to watch the seam of the new ball for about 2-3 minutes. Just sit alone and be quiet.
"I also like to knock a few balls just to get the feel good factor, " she said.
I practiced with wet tennis balls before leaving for Australia: Mandhana
For any Indian cricketer, one of the biggest challenges is to be able to adjust to the bounce on offer in overseas conditions, particularly in places like Australia and South Africa.
Different players follow different routines to acclimatize themselves to additional bounce and Mandhana did her homework as well, before embarking on her maiden trip Down Under, last year.
"We went directly to Australia from the domestic season, so we didn't get too much time to practice. We got about 3-4 days and I tried practicing with wet tennis balls. I didn't really bat on matting wickets, which usually have good bounce.
"You usually don't get such bounce on Indian pitches and to counter that, I practiced usually with the wet tennis balls," Mandhana said.
Those preparations bore fruit Down Under as Mandhana finished as India's second highest run-getter in both the ODI and the T20I series.
The T20I leg of the tour was scheduled in a manner in which the Indian Women's team as well as the Men's team, who too were in the country at the time, played the T20I game on the same day. The Women would play in the afternoon session and the Men would then play in the evening session.
Under such circumstances, the two teams met one another at the venues during practice sessions.
When asked if she got the chance to interact with some of the players, Mandhana said that while they did not pass on any tips they certainly did motivate the girls with some encouraging words.
"I did get to meet some of the Men's players. Suresh Raina and others spoke to us and told us that we were doing well and asked us to keep going.
"It was good to hear that. The dressing rooms were located close-by. It was quite nice. They didn't share any tips as such, but were quite motivating," she said.
The performance in Australia ensured that Mandhana began the year on a positive note, ahead of the World T20 at home, but little did she know that her Australia sojourn was far from over.
About 9 months after her exploits over there, Mandhana was picked by the Women's Big Bash League franchise- the Brisbane Heat- and in December, she was back on the flight Down Under.
Admitting that her performance in Australia for India was important in her getting picked by the franchise, Mandhana said it was a great experience for her to share the dressing room with the likes of Deandra Dottin and others and her stay, the second time around, proved to be a great learning curve for her.
"Definitely(if her performances were noticed for India). Doing well over there and some of the Australian cricketers and support staff would have taken note of my performance and it played a role in they signing me up.
"The WBBL was a really good experience. Playing alongside players from Australia and other parts of the world. It was a new setup, new culture. It was a different experience. I got to learn a lot of things. I would have liked to have got more runs, but I got injured later, but aside from that, I think I learned a lot," the cricketer said.