The current recent ongoing test match between India and Australia was the first pink ball test match conducted by the ICC. The first test match was held in Canberra, Australia where India wanted to end Australia’s test-winning streak in the overseas conditions. It was Smriti Mandhana who lead her team to charge against the team that has subsequently won a lot of test matches on their home soil. She came here and smashed a maiden test century with a score of 127, as she gave the team an early advantage with the away side putting up a massive score on the scoreboard. Due to the inclination of the weather forecast, it resulted in a draw not favouring both sides.
Seeing this mesmerising performance put by the Indian captain, it was Gautam Gambhir who was impressed by her performance and called her a good leader, as he believes that she can carry the team with consistency and form. Gambhir went back to his earlier days, where once he used to be consistent and attacking the bowling unit. He mentioned in his column for The Times of India, “I am not biased towards Smriti Mandhana. I genuinely believe that along with a few others, she has a pair of shoulders that can carry the Indian women’s game for a long period”.
Gambhir also stated he keeps an eye to watch on Smriti’s overall performance with the bat as well as the captaincy. He appreciated her by saying that she can place the ball well and can create big partnerships to put the pressure back on the opposition team.
Gambhir respected her talent and the amount of hard work put in her to reach this milestone and the lot of achievements she has ever received. It did get Smriti a lot of attention not just by her knock, but also by cricketing experts complimenting her overall performance.