Smriti Mandhana made a heartening gesture on Saturday (March 12) as she decided to share her ‘Player of the Match’ trophy with teammate and fellow Indian batting stalwart Harmanpreet Kaur. The elegant Indian opener made a point to equally reward Harmanpreet after they both made centuries in a victory over West Indies in the ICC […]
Smriti Mandhana made a heartening gesture on Saturday (March 12) as she decided to share her ‘Player of the Match’ trophy with teammate and fellow Indian batting stalwart Harmanpreet Kaur.
The elegant Indian opener made a point to equally reward Harmanpreet after they both made centuries in a victory over West Indies in the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup.
The duo shared a tremendous stand of 184 runs for the fourth wicket, with Mandhana scoring 123 off 119 and Harmanpreet 109 off 107 deliveries, respectively.
The Mandhana-Harmanpreet marathon partnership took India to a daunting score of 317/8 before the bowlers got into the act and dismissed West Indies for just 162.
After the match, Smriti Mandhana was handed the ‘Player of the Match’ honours but decided to share the award with her teammate out of respect and recognition of her effort, which wasn’t any lesser to her’s in terms of skill displayed and overall quality on show.
WATCH: WI Openers Smash Legend Jhulan Goswami For Five Fours In An Over
Smriti Mandhana called teammate Harmanpreet Kaur to share the ‘Player of the Match’ trophy.
Speaking at the post-match presentation ceremony, Smriti Mandhana also made an interesting remark, saying the ICC wouldn’t mind her co-sharing her award with Harmanpreet as the governing body would have enough budget to arrange for an extra trophy.
“I think scoring a century and not being a Player of the Match is something I really wouldn’t want as a player. I think we both contributed equally for us to score 300. So, I think it’s good for us to share the trophy and I think both are good contenders to get it,” said the left-hander.
WATCH: Ashleigh Gardner’s stunning catch to dismiss Smriti Mandhana
“We learnt from our mistakes and that’s something we thought we are not gonna repeat it. As batters, we both prefer chasing and setting the target both together. Last game we didn’t get going and in chasing it’s very important to get the momentum. Our strengths are really different because she is really good with spin and I like pace on the ball.”
“So when the spinner comes on I give her the strike and when the pacer comes on she gives me the strike. I’m sure ICC will be giving another trophy and I’m sure they have enough budget to do that,” she added.
Not just as a friend, Harmanpreet’s magnificent return to form would be a cause of great relief as a fellow senior pro of the side for Smriti Mandhana.
The aggressive middle-order bat had endured a long, painstaking dip in her returns since the previous edition of the World Cup. But she seems to be turning the corner for herself at just the right time.
Before her terrific century against the West Indies, Harmanpreet had made a fighting 63-ball 71 in the defeat versus New Zealand.
