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India's explosive opener Smriti Mandhana feels that nomination for Women's T20I Cricketer of 2022 for consecutive years as announced by the International Cricket Council is a validation of her performance for her country.
"Excitement is a different word but it is a great feeling when you are nominated for ICC awards. As a player, your first priority is to win a match for India. If your name comes then it is one of the signs that you are doing a good job for your team. For me that's a validation and its a great feeling," said India vice-captain Smriti Mandhana while speaking to ANI. Mandhana was nominated along with three other outstanding performers in the T20 format. Pakistan's Nida Dar, New Zealand's Sophie Devine and Australia's Tahlia McGrath. Mandhana had a successful year, breaking records along the way, including the fastest fifty by an Indian woman (off just 23 balls) and breaking the 2500-run barrier in T20 Internationals. She also left her mark on the Women's T20 Asia Cup in Bangladesh and the memorable five-match T20I home series against Australia toward the end of a successful year. The second T20I of the bilateral series against Australia in December of 2022 saw Mandhana's most thrilling innings of the year. Mandhana smashed a 49-ball 79 while chasing Australia's 187/1 in front of almost 47,000 people at the DY Patil stadium in Mumbai, the highest attendance for a women's cricket event in India. She was India's leading scorer in the game and helped India tie the game at 187/5 to force a Super Over contest. India batted first in the Super Over, scoring a respectable total of 20/1, of which Mandhana hit 13 off the final three balls (4, 6, 3). This turned out to be a total well enough for India as they restricted Australia to 16/1, sealing a memorable win in front of a roaring crowd. (ANI)
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