Former New Zealand cricketer Scott Styris compared Indian batswoman Smriti Mandhana to men cricket team’s skipper Virat Kohli. Styris complimented Mandhana while he was on-air commentating during the ongoing Test match between New Zealand and India at the Basin Reserve in Wellington on Friday.
Styris went on to emphasise how Mandhana has it in her to make a big impact in women’s cricket and even on to draw parallels between Mandhana and the West Indian legend Viv Richards. Styris feels just like how Richards changed One-day International cricket, Mandhana might do the same as well during the course of her career.
“She’s (Smriti Mandhana) the Virat Kohli of women’s cricket. And will be remembered as someone who changed women’s cricket much like Viv Richards did a long time ago in men’s cricket,” Scott Styris during commentary on Day 1 of the first Test between New Zealand and India.
Mandhana, however, did not have a great start to the tournament personally as she was dismissed for just 10 runs against Australia in the opening match of the tournament. However, India eventually won the game by 17 runs, thanks to a brilliant spell by Poonam Yadav.
She picked up 4 wickets for just 19 runs and turned the match on its head after India had posted a modest total of 132 runs batting first.
India will now be up against Bangladesh in their second group A encounter at the WACA in Perth on Monday.