At just 22, Smriti Mandhana has taken the top spot as the best batswoman in the world, according to the ICC ODI rankings. Read up on everything about her because this is a name that is going to be cemented in cricketing history in the coming years. 

Mandhana was born in Mumbai but was later raised in Sigil in Maharashtra. Cricket ran in the family as her father and her brother were both district-level players and she got inspired to play cricket after watching her brother on the pitch. Her family completely supported her in her path to become a cricketer with every member pitching in. Her father took care of her cricket programme, her mother was in charge of her diet and her brother practiced with her in the nets. 

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One of her biggest cricketing idols is Kumar Sangakkara. She’s taken all the finesse of Sanagakkara’s batting style and incorporated it in her own way on the pitch. The two recently met and naturally, Mandhana fan-girled all over the legend.

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Mandhana was put on the map in October 2013 when she became the first Indian woman to achieve a double-hundred in a one-day game. She’s been in spectacular form since the start and hasn’t dropped that momentum. 

The centuries scored in the ODI against New Zealand helped push Smriti Mandhana to the top spot, above Ellyse Perry and Meg Lanning. 

Mandhana is the Vice Captain of the Indian woman’s cricket team, has her name in the Forbes 30 under 30 list and is now officially the world’s greatest batswoman. With her being just 22, her list of accomplishments has just begun. 

(Header Credit – Smriti Mandhana’s Instagram Page)