Smriti Mandhana’s special Sangli support system

Smriti Mandhana. Pic/Smriti’s Instagram

India women's cricket star Smriti Mandhana, 29, is the cynosure of the country when she dons the blue jersey. Being one of the premier batters in women's cricket isn't easy, considering she carries the weight of over a billion people on her shoulders. But friends help ease this pressure. In a recent interview, appearing in Vogue India magazine's May-June edition, the southpaw revealed how her close friends back home in Sangli help her stay grounded.

"I'm not cricketer Smriti Mandhana anymore [when in Sangli]. I'm just Smriti. The moment I cross that bridge back home, something just switches. My friends don't even follow cricket closely; they'll see something on Instagram and joke, ‘Lagta hai aaj tune kuch kiya hai?' [Looks like you played well today?] That's what keeps me real," Mandhana told Vogue India.

Mandhana has also made peace with the up and down nature of competitive sport. "When we started playing, this is what we wanted; people supporting us. So, we have to accept the downside too. One day you're criticised, the next day you score and everything changes," added Mandhana, who has played 120 WODIs, 163 WT20Is and eight Tests.