Commonwealth Games 2022: Smriti Mandhana hopes to emulate Neeraj Chopra moment at Birmingham
The Indian women’s cricket team will be playing its first multi-sport event at CWG 2022.
Indian women’s cricket team ace Smiriti Mandhana says she was moved by how Neeraj Chopra inspired the nation by winning a javelin throw gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics and hopes to replicate a similar moment at the Commonwealth Games 2022.
Last year, Neeraj Chopra became the first Indian to win an Olympic medal in athletics. The win sparked a lot of interest in sports all over the country.
Smriti Mandhana, who has been one of India’s most consistent performers on the cricket field in recent years, is taking inspiration from Neeraj Chopra’s Tokyo moment heading into the Commonwealth Games 2022.
“We all have watched the Olympics and the Commonwealth Games, when the Indian flag is hoisted high and we hear the national anthem, we know the kind of feeling it evokes. I literally got goosebumps when Neeraj Chopra won the gold at the Tokyo Olympics,” Smriti Mandhana said.
“We have an opportunity to be there, try and do that -- of course not for the Olympics but for the CWG. Our preparations have been good and we are definitely gunning for the gold, just not a podium finish,” Smriti Mandhana added.
This will be the first time the Indian women’s cricket team will be competing in a multi-sport event.
Cricket was part of the Commonwealth Games 1998 but only men’s cricket was played. Cricket at CWG 2022, meanwhile, will be an all-women affair with T20 being the chosen format.
A total of eight teams, including India, will be seen in action at the tournament in Birmingham.
India, placed in Group A, will start their campaign against five-time world champions Australia on Friday. However, Smriti Mandhana, who is expected to open the batting for India alongside youngster Shafali Verma, was unfazed by the tough start to their campaign.
"We have played them (Australia) in the openers in quite a lot of tournaments. In a T20 tournament, any team can beat any team. I wouldn't term Australia as a big team and make them feel good about that," Smriti Mandhana said.
India will then play their next matches against arch-rivals Pakistan on July 31 and Barbados on August 3.
Hosts England are in Group B with New Zealand, South Africa and Sri Lanka.
The top two teams from the two groups from the T20 International competition will progress to the semi-finals. All matches will be played at the iconic Edgbaston Cricket Stadium.
The Commonwealth Games 2022 will start in Birmingham, UK, on Thursday and will conclude on August 8.