Smriti Mandhana has been a top-notch performer on the international cricket scene for over a decade. She is one of the most graceful, left-handed openers of her time, and time and again, she has shown her class with some brilliant batting performances around the world. But somehow, she has failed to get going in the two matches that Team India have played in the Women’s T20 World Cup, currently underway in the UAE. Her scores of 12 against New Zealand and seven against Pakistan do not do justice to the talent she possesses. If India hope to make it to the semi-finals, much of their fortunes rest on her form.

Poor opening stands

Smriti forms a formidable opening pair with Shafali Verma and the duo are known for giving their team solid starts more often than not. But Smriti has yet to come to terms with sluggish pitches at the Dubai International Stadium. Thus, the duo have not been able to give the required momentum to the team. As a result, the batting line-up struggled in both games. The Smriti-Shafali combo put on just 11 in the first game and 18 in the second. Little wonder, in both games India struggled to get across the 100-run mark. They managed just 102 runs in 19 overs at a run rate of 5.36, when the required rate was 8.01 against the White Ferns, and 108 in 18.5 at 5.73 against Pakistan when they needed to overhaul the target of 106 in at least 15 overs to significantly improve their Net Run Rate (NRR).