Smriti Mandhana has that slow, lazy elegance like Damien Martyn: Shubman Gill

Dubai: As Team India gears up for the ICC Women’s World Cup beginning September 30, men’s Test captain and all-format star Shubman Gill has lavished praise on Smriti Mandhana, calling the batting icon a picture of “lazy elegance” reminiscent of former Australian great Damien Martyn.

Currently part of India’s squad for the T20I Asia Cup, Gill made the comments in a video shared on the BCCI Women’s official channel.

“I think it’s kind of like Damien Martyn, the way she plays,” Gill said. “She has that slow, lazy elegance. Technique is something that gets you through tough phases. When you’re under pressure or facing a difficult situation, it really helps.”

Gill acknowledged the consistency with which Mandhana has delivered at the highest level, especially under expectations. “She’s been doing incredibly well to keep up with expectations. I wouldn’t give her any advice — just tell her to be herself and continue doing what she’s doing,” he added.

Martyn, known for his smooth strokeplay, represented Australia from 1992 to 2006. In 279 matches and 295 innings across formats, he scored 9,872 runs at an average of 42.92, including 18 centuries and 61 fifties. He was part of Australia’s World Cup-winning squads in 1999 and 2003, and famously scored an unbeaten 88 in the 2003 final against India.

In ODIs alone, Martyn amassed 5,346 runs in 208 matches at an average of 40.80, with five centuries and 37 fifties. His highest score in the format was 144 not out.

Mandhana has been in stunning form this year, piling up 928 runs in just 14 innings at an average of 66.28 and a strike rate of 115.85. Her tally includes four centuries and three fifties, with a top score of 135.

She was the standout performer in the recent home series against Australia, finishing as the leading run-scorer with 300 runs in three matches at an average of 100.00. She notched up two centuries and a fifty in the series. In the final ODI, Mandhana smashed a 50-ball century, breaking Virat Kohli’s record to register the fastest ODI century by an Indian — across both men’s and women’s cricket.

India will kick off their World Cup campaign at home against Sri Lanka in Guwahati. Mandhana is just 43 runs shy of breaking Belinda Clark’s long-standing record of 970 ODI runs in a calendar year (set in 1997), the most by a female cricketer in a single year.

Across 108 ODIs, Mandhana has scored 4,888 runs at an average of 47.92 and a strike rate of nearly 90. Her record includes 13 centuries and 32 fifties, with a career-best of 136.

In World Cup matches, she has made 559 runs in 16 innings at an average of 37.26, including two centuries and three fifties. However, her knockout record remains an area for improvement — she has scored only six runs combined in the semi-final and final of the 2017 edition.

With inputs from ANI