India’s star opener Smriti Mandhana has termed her maiden T20I century a “special” moment, admitting the format doesn’t come naturally to her, but vowing to keep working on her power-hitting game.Standing in as captain for the injured Harmanpreet Kaur, Mandhana led from the front with a sublime 112 in the opening T20I against England at Trent Bridge. Her century, which helped India to a 97-run win, marked her first in the format, having already achieved the milestone in both Tests and ODIs.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!“It’s a nice feeling because this format is something where, as a batter, I need to keep pushing and improving,” Mandhana said after the game. “It’s not a very natural format for me. I like to time the ball, not hit it hard. It’s always been a work in progress – and still is.”
Mandhana expressed satisfaction at seeing her power-hitting training pay off. “To get a hundred in this format is pretty special. I’ve been working a lot on my power game and it’s nice to see it come through.”She also backed fellow opener Shafali Verma, who managed a scratchy 20 off 22 balls. “I’ve seen Shafali bat brilliantly in the nets over the past week. She just needs to shake off the nerves. A big knock isn’t far away.”
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Mandhana was informed of her captaincy duties just two hours before the match, but said the role didn’t alter her mindset. “With the bat in hand, it doesn’t matter if you’re captain or not. You have to deliver for the team, and I’m happy I could do that today.”With India 1-0 up, the series continues with the second T20I in Hove, where Mandhana will look to carry her momentum forward.
