Smriti Mandhana asserts Jhulan Goswami inspired her to become World No.1

Smriti Mandhana had a terrific year and became the World’s No.1 batswoman in ODIs after her performances in 2018. She had also scored 400 runs in 3 ODIs and 3 T20I against the Kiwis and has now revaled that she attributes her success to Jhulan Goswami for inspiring her to work hard and become the greatest. 

“When Jhulan di (Goswami) became the No.1 bowler in the world, I had read about it in the newspapers. That stuck in my mind and I wanted to become No.1 too. I don't want to be content just getting there. It motivates you to work harder,“ Mandhana said in a report published by India Today.

The left-handed batswoman also said that she always smiles on and off the field. She had asked quite a few opposition bowlers, why they always pose fierce looks towards her when she actually gives a smile. 

“My teammates tease me and ask why I am always smiling. So often when I meet bowlers from the opposition, off the field, I ask them why they give me such fierce looks when I actually smile at them. They say it's because I keep bashing us. That feels good to hear. It feels good to contribute to victories,” she exclaimed.

Speaking of the difficult phase of her career, when she was struggling to get bat to ball and score runs consistently, she said that her coach Tushar Arothe helped her to change her batting stance and eventually the alteration to her disposition bore better results.

“After World Cup 2017, I had six or seven bad innings. That's when I spoke to a lot of my coaches. Tushar Arothe was India's coach then. He told me that I should try an open stance. The open stance has helped me a lot and the results have followed. I have also strived to make sure that my batting does not take a hit again,“ she added.

The Indian opener also revealed that she had learnt to play ariel strokes consistently with perfection and the change was paramount to adapt while playing the 20-over format where it is important to accelerate the scoring rate. She concluded saying that she doesn’t think too far ahead as it is better to live and focus on the present.

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