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Virat Kohli and Smriti Mandhana; Similarities Between The Two No.18s Of Indian Cricket

Both Smriti Mandhan and Virat Kohli wear the jersey no. 18 [X]Both Smriti Mandhan and Virat Kohli wear the jersey no. 18 [X]

Virat Kohli and Smriti Mandhana are the two most popular names of Indian cricket. The Indian cricket fans often take the liberty of comparing these two modern supertsars of the game. However, recently Smriti Mandhana was heard saying a press meet that there is not comparison between the two and that the fans must refrain from doing it. 

Well, as there are a lot of differences of between Men's and Women's cricket, comparing the two might be too far fetched. However, both of them are superstars in their respective areas and no matter how much you ignore the fact, we will find some similarities between the two. 

Let us see a few points where Kohli and Mandhana are similar.


1.Jersey No. 18

This is from where it starts. The jersey numbers of the two players. Both Virat Kohli and Smriti Mandhana don the jersey no.18 for Indian and their respective clubs in franchise cricket. This is probably the biggest similarity between the two stars of Indian cricket. 

2. The RCB connection

Both Virat Kohli and Smriti Mandhana represent RCB in the Indian T20 League [X]Both Virat Kohli and Smriti Mandhana represent RCB in the Indian T20 League [X]

Since the inception of the Indian Premier League, Virat Kohli has been a part of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru. The franchise and the superstar have become somewhat synonymous. 

The same has been the case for Smriti Mandhana. She too has been a part of the RCB franchise since the inception of WPL. Although the two tournament is just a couple of seasons old, the fact that Smriti has led them to a title win ensures that this partnership will stand the test of the time. 

3. Impact on Indian batting

Post the Sachin Tendulkar-era, Virat Kohli has emerged as the main run-scorer for the Indian Men's Team. A lot of how India performs depend a lot on how Kohli lays the foundation of the team. The most recent example of this was the T20 World Cup 2024 final, where Kohli played a calm and composed knock to get India to a fighting total. 

Much like Kohli, Smriti Mandhana has taken up the baton of the Indian Women's batting after the departure of Mithali Raj. Unlike Kohli, who bats at number three for India, Smriti Mandhana is an opener. So, India often look up at Mandhana to give them a solid start and build a strong foundation for the batters to come later. 


4. The mentorship of a No. 7

Virat Kohli has often expressed his gratitude to the former Indian captain, MS Dhoni. He has spoken about how MSD believed in him, backed him and mentored him during the early stages of the career. Kohli's career blossomed and took height during Dhoni's captaincy. Thus the role of a number 7 in his career has been crucial. 

Similarly, Smriti Mandhana has reached her full potentital under the leadership of Harmanpreet Kaur, who also wears number 7. One can say, that Smriti is the next captain of the Indian women's team and the strategic acumen and tactical awareness in her has somewhat been mentored by Harmanpreet. So, in this case too we can see that a no.7 has played a cruical role.

5. Wrong footed bowling action

Smriti Mandhan and Virat Kohli have similar bowling actions [X]Smriti Mandhan and Virat Kohli have similar bowling actions [X]

While there are a lot of similarites in the career and batting approach of the two stars, they resemble each other even in their bowling action. Both Smriti and Virat are medium pace bowlers who finish their action on the wrong foot while delivery.