"My father wanted me to be a pacer because I had decent height" - Smriti Mandhana opens up on her obsession for batting

Star India cricketer Smriti Mandhana opened up on her obsession with batting and how her father wanted her to be a fast bowler. Smriti appeared on an episode of 'The Long Off Show' hosted by Jatin Sapru.

She revealed that cricket was all about batting to her before she started playing for Maharashtra. Smriti Mandhana admitted to being obsessed with batting and how she fought with her father not to become a bowler.

"Cricket to me was batting. To be fair, I did not like cricket, I only liked batting. I wanted to bat all day long. Nothing can beat the love I have for batting. My father wanted me to be a pacer because I had decent height. I acted a lot to not bowl and fought with me father also. I never knew about fielding like why is it needed. When I played for Maharashtra, I realised you have to do all of it," she said.

The ace batter also revealed what her punishment would be if she missed fielding sessions and arrived late for practice. She added that her obsession for batting was like a child's obsession with chocolates.

"My punishment would be two hours of fielding before I touch my bat. My punishment from coaches would be seven days of no batting if I missed a session or came late. It was like a kid without a chocolate for me. I was that obsessed with batting."

She made her international debut in 2013 and has represented India in all three formats. In 117 ODIs, she has scored 5322 runs at an average of 48.38 with 14 hundreds and 34 half-centuries. The left-hander has scored 3982 runs in 153 T20Is with a hundred and 31 half-centuries, while in seven Tests, she has 629 runs at an average of 57.18 with two hundreds and three fifties.

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Smriti Mandhana's father reveals her naughty nature

In the same episode, Smriti Mandhana's father revealed how naughty Smriti Mandhana was in her earlier days. Her father recalled how she would eat 'Bhel' and wanted to do what she wanted to.

"Smriti was very naughty. Naughty in the sense, she wanted to do everything. She would want to eat Kulfi and Bhel and all of that. There was Bhel guy who would come at six in the evening. She used to say she is hungry at six and would come down right away and eat it," he said.

Smriti added that she had a setting with the Bhel guy, and bargained to get it at ₹8 from him instead of ₹12.

"I had a setting with the Bhel guy. He would give it to me for 8 rupees instead of 12 because I was his premium customer," she said.

She played a key role in India's victory recently at the World Cup 2025. The star batter scored 434 runs from nine matches at an average of 54.25 with a century and a half-century.

NOTE: 'This interview was recorded before Smriti Mandhana's father was hospitalized'

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Edited by Rishab Vm