Smriti logs Test victory on debut in UK

PUNE: Shrinivas Mandhana had a dream. The 53-year-old former district level cricketer from Sangli wanted to fulfil his personal ambition of playing for India through one of his children.

That dream became a reality this week, and how! Mandhana's daughter Smriti, making her debut in the longer version of the game, hit a steady 51 to lay the foundation for the Indian women's victory over England at the picturesque Sir Paul Getty ground in Wormsley, England, on Saturday.

"From early on I wanted one of my children to play for India because I couldn't," Mandhana said from Sangli after captain Mithali Raj (50 no) and Shikha Pandey (28) completed the formalities by knocking off the remaining 62 required in the one-off Test.

"My son (Shravan) tried hard but then told me that he wouldn't be able to continue with the game for long and took up a job. But my daughter got selected for India."

Indian women were playing a Test match after a gap of eight years and it was only their second ever triumph over England.

Smriti, just 18 years and 29 days of age and a Class 12 student in Chintaman College in Sangli, was one of the eight debutants in the Indian team.

"For a teenager playing in her first match to score 22 (in the first innings) and a fifty is remarkable," said Shravan, who is now employed in a leading private bank.

But the left-handed Smriti was fulfilling a dream of her own too. Mandhana began to coach her in earnestness when she turned nine. He still bowls to her in the nets, but given his age, the Mandhanas have hired Anant Tambvekar, a local cricketer and who has played in the Maharashtra Premier League, for specialised coaching.

"She practises daily for eight hours and Anant works on her overall game including fielding and fitness," Mandhana says.

While Mandhana takes care of Smriti's cricket programme, mother Smita is incharge of her diet, clothing and other organisation aspects.

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