‘Hard to get into T20 mode’ – Smriti Mandhana on mental shift after match-winning knock against Sri Lanka

Star Indian batter Smriti Mandhana has said that it tough to get accustomed to the shortest format after playing a huge quantity of ODI cricket in the recent past. Smriti’s remark came after she struck a 48-ball 80 in the fourth T20I of the five-match series against Sri Lanka on December 28.

Smriti, after receiving the Player of the Match award in Thiruvananthapuram, admitted to keeping her gameplan similar to how she would go about things while playing ODIs. 

“After playing a lot of ODI cricket, it was hard to get into T20 mode, playing six months of ODIs and coming back to T20s was a bit hard mentally. The plans were similar; I had some gameplans against them, I came early and tried to work on that,” shared Smriti in the post-match presentation ceremony.

The left-handed batter also lauded Shafali Varma for showing maturity at the crease. The Indian vice-captain also mentioned that the two have always complemented each other. 

“To watch Shafali bat from the other end is always a treat for the eyes, we complement each other well. Happy with the way she has matured with her batting,” she added.

The fourth T20I, which India eventually ended up winning by 30 runs, was a record-breaking contest for India. One of those was Smriti becomingjust the fourth women’s cricketer to reach the 10,000-run mark. She became the second Indian after former India skipper Mithali Raj to attain the feat.

Smriti’s scores read 25, 14 and 1 in the first three matches of the series, as she was just unable to find her mojo. With yet another POTM under her belt, it will be expected from the seasoned campaigner to fire in similar fashion in the fifth and final match of the T20I series, which will be played on December 30 in Thiruvananthapuram.