From Sangli to Brisbane: Smriti Mandhana to play in Big Bash League

Smriti Mandhana celebrates her century in the Hobart oneday international during womens Australia tour in February 2016 PicGetty ImagesEver since she scored her maiden century for India against Australia in Hobart 20yearold Smriti Mandhana immediately drew comparisons with Virat Kohli Now shes got another chance to make her presence felt Down Under Mandhana who shifted from Mumbai to Sangli when she was just two has been signed by Brisbane Heat yesterday on a oneyear deal for the second edition of the Womens Big Bash League WBBLMandhana becomes the second women cricketer to sign for the BBL after Indias vicecaptain after Harmanpreet Kaur signed the dotted line with defending champions Sydney Thunder in July this year The opening lefthander who averages a healthy 3225 in ODIs became an overnight star with her matchwinning halfcentury on her Test debut against England that saw India win a historic match in August 2014In a freewheeling chat with midday yesterday Mandhana who will have to report at the Brisbane Heat headquarters by December 3 expresses her delight on her selection and also opens up on the depressing ICC World T20 being a learning phase in her career the naughty prankster she is in the Indian team and setting an example to break female stereotypes in the countryExcerptsQ What do you think earned you a call to play in the Womens Big Bash League How do you see this as a step ahead in improving yourself as a cricketerI scored a century in Australia 109ball 102 and in that Australian side there were players like Holly Ferling and Jess Jonassen so I think my performance attracted them There was also a slot open for an opener Going to Australia will help me improve my fitness and I can learn fitness and fielding strategies from them which is something that I can take home and impart to others as well Australian cricketers plan differently and I want to learn what is this differenceQ Do you know anybody in Brisbane HeatIve just had a formal chat with the players and the team management who congratulated me I just know them by their nameshellip nothing elseQ One player youll definitely know is your India teammate Harmanpreet Kaur but she will be your opponentWeve been playing for quite sometime now against each other in the domestic circuit She used to play for the Railways and I for Maharashtra But yes playing in another country will be different We were roommates during the Australia and Sri Lanka series and both of us have similar hobbiesQ Which areWe like playing games on our laptops PSPs and we both love sleeping a lotQ Being so close both of you are bound to share secrets during the BBL rightWe share our secrets but during the BBL I dont think well be revealing our team secrets laughsQ Immediately after your century in Australia you were compared to Virat KohliI would definitely like to achieve what he has but its a bit too early to compare me with himQ After Australia the ICC World T20 took place which was a completely different story Do you think the episode strengthened you as a cricketerDefinitely Failure teaches you a lot It taught me to never take my form for grantedQ So what have you done during this long break after World T20I went back to my basics to improve my batting in particular and then my fitness and fielding My coaches Rohan Dharwad sir and Anant Tambekar sir really helped me a lot during this periodQ Who is your idolI look up to Sachin Tendulkar as a cricketer but as a lefthander I just loved watching Kumar Sangakkara bat His game was based on timing and I would like to incorporate that aspect in mine tooQ Did you always want to play club cricket Are you happy that the BCCI now has opened the doors to women cricketers playing abroadI just wanted to play cricket when I was a kid Yes the BCCIs decision will definitely help us gain experience against foreigners and more importantly we will be experienced to play in away conditionsQ Taking to cricket at such a young age do you feel you have missed out on other exciting things in lifeI dont think so Thinking about this will only make me sad As a kid I just loved playing cricketQ Who are your closest friends in the Indian team How does the team bond when there are hardly any tournaments at the international levelEveryone in the team is very close We didnt have many tournaments but ever since the ICC introduced the Womens Championship in 2015 we have really played a lotQ You are known to be quite a prankster in the teamMany people are there in the team who love to dance I am someone who watches them and then start making fun of them laughsQ Do you think female stereotypes can be broken in India where the family is predominantly patriarchalYes we are on the verge of breaking stereotypes In every field women are doing great In some years I wish to set an example for other women to look up to meQ Coming from Sangli what are some of the difficulties you facedI never faced any difficulties I used to get bowlers to bowl to me In Sangli we have all facilities like turf matting and cement wickets Ive seen 2225 girls playing cricket after they saw me Earlier I did not see anyoneQ Would you like an IPL for women cricketers in IndiaYes it will definitely help in bonding cricketers The womens cricket team just needs to win some big tournaments Then we can attract the same attention as the men