IND-W vs AUS-W: Smriti Mandhana Fan: Phoebe Litchfield – The much-awaited India Women vs Australia Women T20 series will get underway on Friday (December 9). While all the focus is on big stars like Harmanpreet Kaur, Alyssa Healy, and Smriti Mandhana, a uncapped Australian left-hander Phoebe Litchfield is ready to shine on the big stage. Although the teenage star is nervous, she finds inspiration in Mandhana and is keen to make an impact. Follow IND-W vs AUS-W Live Updates with InsideSport.IN.
IND-W vs AUS-W 1st T20 on Friday at 7 PM, one big Smriti Mandhana fan in the Australian Women’s cricket team is ready to make impact: Check OUT & Follow INDIA-W vs Australia-W LIVE
IND-W vs AUS-W: Litchfield draws inspiration from Mandhana, ready to make a mark in the Australian team – It was during the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) in 2021-22 that Litchfield saw the India opener from close quarters. Mandhana had a terrific season with Sydney Thunder as the southpaw topped the run-scoring charts by scoring 377 runs at a strike rate of 131. Litchfield was not far behind as the teenage start amassed 263 runs. The southpaw yet again fared well in this edition of WBBL and scored 280 runs.
Litchfield believes Mandhana is awesome to have as a role model as she has helped her add a few elements to the game. “Smriti was awesome to play with. She is a class above,” the 19-year-old Litchfield said in Mumbai to ESPN Cricinfo. “As a lefty, I learnt a lot from her. She helped me through those innings. I definitely made the most of her [time] over there [and] picked her brains. She’s one of my favorite left-handers to watch.
IND-W vs AUS-W: Why Litchfield idolizes Mandhana?
- Like Mandhana, Litchfield is also a left-hand batter. Both are technically correct and play orthodox shots.
- The India opener also made her debut as a teenage player. But before that, the southpaw was already a established star in Maharashtra.
- Litchfield also made heads turn for New South Wales with her composed and calm approach.
- In the WBBL 2019 season the Australia uncapped player become the youngest player to score a fifty.
- Mandhana also gave one of her bats to Litchfield at the end of the 2021-22 season
- The Australian player feels she has learnt a lot from Mandhana just by watching her.
“She actually gave me one of her bats at the end of the series. I used that and it was a peach! [The chat with her was about] just batting insights around how to go about a game. Sometimes you shank some, sometimes you go well. You’ve got to stick in there and put an innings together. She helped me with that.”
IND-W vs AUS-W 1st T20 on Friday at 7 PM, one big Smriti Mandhana fan in the Australian Women’s cricket team is ready to make impact: Check OUT & Follow INDIA-W vs Australia-W LIVE
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