WPL 2024: Sophie Devine 'super proud' of skipper Smriti's valiant knock
Smriti's knock in an opening stand of 77 with Sophie was the brightest point for RCB in their first loss of the season following back-to-back victories.
Smriti Mandhana in action (Instagram/WPL)
BENGALURU: Following Royal Challengers Bangalore's (RCB) 25-run win against Delhi Capitals (DC) in the Women's Premier League on Thursday, batting allrounder Sophie Devine hailed skipper Smriti Mandhana's 74-run knock saying she was "super proud" of her.
Smriti's knock in an opening stand of 77 with Sophie was the brightest point for RCB in their first loss of the season following back-to-back victories.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Devine claimed that last season was tough for the RCB skipper.
"Yeah, look, I'm super proud of Smriti. I think last season was pretty tough for her. For her to come out and bat the way that she has this year has been fantastic. I think the way that she's batted, the way that she's captained the team has been outstanding, and it's really oozed confidence," Sophie said at the post-match press conference.
"It was quite different for me to be standing down there today while she was smacking it to all corners. But that's the great thing about cricket and about T20 cricket is there's going to be times where in the partnership that you're going to take different roles. And for me today, it was just sitting back and watching her slog it round the ground," she added.
Sophie, who put up an all-round show with 2/23 for three overs before striking 23 off 17, has been impressed with the skipper's handling of her bowling attack so far.
She said RCB had a well-rounded bowling attack with "literally every option possible" but had a rare off day in office on Thursday. "But we back ourselves to come back strongly against Mumbai," she added.
Chasing a target of 195, RCB got off to a flying start with Smriti Mandhana and Sophie Devine firing all cylinders. However, after Devine's departure, RCB's middle order crumbled like a house of cards allowing DC to make an unprecedented comeback in the game.
RCB needed 45 runs in the final five overs, DC's clinical bowling helped them to clinch a 25-run victory.
The Bangalore-based franchise will now take on Mumbai Indians in their upcoming fixture in the WPL 2024 at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday.