New Delhi, March 18 – India’s vice-captain, Smriti Mandhana, celebrated a remarkable year after being awarded the Best International Cricketer (Women) award at the BCCI Naman Awards. The left-handed batter reflected on her individual contributions and the broader success of Indian cricket, particularly the victory in the Women’s ODI World Cup.
“It’s been a great year. Again, I can’t really talk much about my own performance because of how we played in the World Cup and winning the World Cup was truly special. But for me individually, it was also a great year in terms of contributing to the team, and I’m happy that I could contribute,” Mandhana said in a BCCI video.
The opening batter highlighted the significance of India’s resurgence on the global stage in both men’s and women’s cricket, stating, “As I mentioned in my speech, winning four World Cups and one Champions Trophy is amazing. And for Indian cricket, we had a few years without a World Cup, and a lot of people had a lot to say. But to come back in the last two years and achieve what Indian cricket has achieved is truly amazing. And just to be a part of this evening and celebrate all the teams is wonderful.”
Mandhana also talked about the importance of being prepared and having support systems in place that helped India win. She praised Jay Shah, the former BCCI secretary and current ICC chief, for all the work he did to promote women’s cricket.
“If you want to achieve something special, you want to win the World Cup. It doesn't just happen in that World Cup. The preparation has to start. And for us, Jay (Shah) sir has been amazing in the last three to four years, and he brought the WPL. The WPL has really changed the way women’s cricket has been played. And again, having equal pay in terms of match fees. And, smaller things, more than all those things.”
She further acknowledged the role of infrastructure and support staff in fostering a winning environment. “Just the kind of support staff that was provided, the kind of facilities that were provided, whatever was asked was given. So, when you do those things right, the result comes. And the 19 women winning the World Cup and the WPL creating stars and then us going on to win the World Cup. That's just the start of something really great,” Mandhana said.
