Who is Indian Cricketer Smriti Mandhana

As vice-captain of the Indian women's cricket team, Smriti Mandhana has a long history with the sport. On 18 July 1996, she was born to a Marwari Hindu family in Mumbai, Maharashtra. When she was two years old, her family moved to the Maharashtrian suburb of Madhavnagar in the district of Sangli, where her father and brother played district-level cricket. Her brother soon began playing for Maharashtra's Under-16 team, inspiring Mandhana to pursue the sport herself.She was chosen to play in the state's Under-15 team by the age of nine, joining the Under-19 team just two years later. In 2013, she competed against the state of Gujarat in a one-day match, beating the team with 225 balls and becoming the first Indian woman to score a double-century in a single day's game. After this breakthrough, she quickly climbed the ranks and began competing against international teams. From England to South Africa and Bangladesh, Mandhana scored a century in all match formats - the first Indian woman to do so.She proved to be a high achiever, holding the joint most international centuries, second most ODI centuries, second most runs in T20I, most fifty-plus scores in T20I, and the fastest ODI ton.Mandhana has been recognised for her talent by numerous organisations. She was awarded the Best International Cricketer in the 2018 BCCI Awards, deemed Cricketer of the Year by ICC in 2018, nominated T20 Player of the Year in 2021 and Cricketer of the Year in 2021, deemed Cricketer of the Year by ICC again in 2022, and won OCI Cricketer of the Year in 2025.She was one of the first Indians, along with Harmanpreet Kaur, to sign up for the Women's Big Bash League with Brisbane Heat in 2016, after which she competed in other franchises, including the Kia Super League and The Hundred.Mandhana was offered Rs. 3.4 crores by RCB in the 2023 WPL auction - the highest bid in the auction - and was made the team's captain shortly after. Under her leadership, the team won their first WPL title in 2024, a testament to her expertise.This year, Smiriti Mandhana led the Indian cricket team to its first Women's Cricket World Cup victory alongside captain Harmanpreet Kaur, bringing the nation its first WWC win and further adding to her impressive cricket profile. This article is authored by Tejasree K , an intern at Deccan Chronicle