Follow UsRoyal Challengers Bangalore finished fourth last season and only took four points from the competition despite boasting top talents from around the world. Smriti Mandhana, who led the team, had a season to forget, with just 148 runs, averaging 18.62. Her captaincy wasn’t too inspiring either, with RCB only winning two games.
However, things took a turn for the good this year when the left-hander not just her form but also her team’s fortunes. After three matches, RCB are currently placed at second, with two wins and a loss. Smriti’s form, too, has been stellar, with 130 runs, averaging 43.3, including a stunning 74 where she looked at ease.
After her scintillating 74 against Delhi, her opening partner Sophie Devine was in ‘all praise’ for the southpaw, with ten fours and three sixes.
“I’m super proud of Smriti; I think the last season was pretty tough for her. This year has been fantastic. The way she has batted and captained this innings, it has oozed confidence,” Devine said in the post-match press conference.
“It was quite different for me to be standing there while she was smacking all corners. That’s T20 cricket. For me, it was such a day today where I was at the non-striker’s end, watching her pogo across the ground,” she added.
At 124/4 after 15 overs, Delhi certainly knew that they had to up the scoring rate, and that’s what the pair of Marizanne Kapp and Jess Jonassen combined to score 68 quick runs at the death, taking them to 194/5. It was a phase that Devine regretted, stating that it was just poor execution from the bowling unit.
“We bowled pretty poorly, we leaked 40-50 runs with just poor execution. Starting and finishing overs were a real problem, you can’t give a side like Delhi those opportunities. We gave it loose at the back end, but we still backed ourselves to chase it. We left it a bit too much to chase at the end,” she said.
On the other hand, Jonassen talked about her plans and how she took on the in-form Asha Shobhana. But prior to that, the left-arm spinner talked about how the partnership between Shafali Verma and Alice Capsey paved the way for the others.
“There wasn’t as much dew tonight. Runs on the board mattered. The wicket was lower and slower. It was a tough ground to score when you put on the right spot. Our mentality doesn’t change if we bat or chase. When you have someone like Shafali, she always finds a way to score. The way Alice came out with the bat, it is really nice to enjoy,” Jonassen said.
It was Jonassen’s first T20 appearance in about three months, having last played in December against India. On her return, the left-handed batter put on a show, scoring a 16-ball 36, with two sixes and four fours.
“I’m just happy to be back on the cricket field. The last couple of months have been frustrating for me, not being able to break into the Australian side. I just look for any opportunity and make sure I’m ready to go. Smriti put us on the backfoot early on, but we knew that they had to do it the entire innings, so we just stayed calm,” Jonassen said.
At 152/4, with Asha Shobana bowling, it was Jonassen’s task to take her on, considering the favourable match-up. The left-handed Australian took her on, with four, six, four and four, to help Delhi finish on a high. Jonassen opened up on the discussion she had with Kapp out in the middle.
“As soon as the leg-spinner came on, she said ‘she’s yours’ and I had to take her on. That was really the best match-up. Kappy (Marizanne) hadn’t faced her yet, and Asha (Shobana) had bowled really well in the tournament. So, I took the responsibility of facing her, and I was just fortunate that she missed her lengths. I still had to clear the rope and hit the ball, I think I got a couple of freebies there.”