Mandhana credits self-belief for RCB’s triumph

NEW DELHI: Smriti Mandhana’s self-belief wavered in pressure situations last year but this season she was able to conquer the demons in her mind when pushed against the wall, helping RCB land its first major title in franchise cricket.

Speaking to media after RCB beat Delhi Capitals in a low-scoring WPL final, Mandhana said she has matured as a captain and player since last season.

“One thing that I have learned is to believe in yourself. That was something which lacked in me last year when it did go wrong.

“I doubted a few things in myself but that was the real conversation with my mind, I need to keep trusting myself and I think that was the biggest learning for me,” said Mandhana on Sunday night.

The second season saw Mandhana getting her hands on the trophy while Harmanpreet Kaur had led Mumbai Indians to the title in the inaugural edition. That only shows the depth of Indian cricket, said Mandhana.

“Last year when MI and DC were playing in the final, somewhere deep down I hoped that Harman lifts it because the first edition of WPL and for an Indian captain to win, if not me it has to be Harman. So I was really happy for Harman and whole MI team,” Mandhana said.

“Second season I became the second Indian captain to win. That really shows the kind of depth Indian cricket has and it’s just the start, we still have a long way to go.”

‘Shreyanka most complete cricketer I have seen’

Mandhana particularly reserved high praise for young Shreyanka Patil, who took four wickets in the final.

“Shreyanka has just been brilliant. The first 3-4 matches didn’t go her way. She came off a really tough zonal tournament. During a match there I remember having a chat with her when I said don’t worry 17th March you are going to do something special, little did I know that will happen and she will get the purple cap.

“I think she is the most complete player to come to international cricket in the last two years. She feels she belongs to international cricket,” she said.

Meanwhile, DC head coach Jonathan Batty felt they didn’t do justice with the bat, but still fought valiantly to take the match to the last over.

“We fought magnificently, bowled and fielded magnificently. The game to lose with only 3 balls to go was absolutely amazing.

“We didn’t do ourselves great justice with the bat that left us with a few runs short. We should have scored more after that fantastic start,” he said.