Mandhana with her boyfriend Palash Muchhal (Instagram)
On September 25, Smriti Mandhana scripted history by leading the Indian Women’s cricket team to a crushing victory over Sri Lanka Women to win the tournament at Hangzhou. The vice-captain was overwhelmed with emotions when the Indian flag went up during the Asia Games ceremony.
Smriti Mandhana captained India Women in the quarter-final match against Indonesia Women and in the semifinal against Bangladesh Women before Harmanpreet Kaur returned to lead the team in the final. Her extraordinary on-field heroics helped India Women defend a paltry target of 117 runs against Sri Lanka Women.
The 73-run stand between Smriti and Jemimah turned out to be very significant as India Women managed to post a face-saving total of 116 despite experiencing a quick flurry of wickets at the backend of their innings.
Speaking with ANI, Smriti expressed that she was extremely pleased with the end result and acknowledged that winning a gold medal for her country was a huge moment for her team and the country.
Watch the video here:
Amidst all the pouring wishes, Smriti’s boyfriend Palash Muchhal also took the opportunity to congratulate her on her monumental milestone. He took to his Instagram account to post a picture of the couple posing together for a picture with his hands on Smriti’s gold medal. Later on, Jemimah dropped a hilarious comment on Palash’s post congratulating him for the Gold medal instead of Smriti.
Palash Muchhal's Instagram Post:
While the Women’s Cricket tournament in the Asian Games has come to a close, all eyes will be on the Indian Men’s Cricket team who are expected to be seen in action on October 3 in a quarterfinal match. India's opponent is yet to be decided.