Smriti Mandhana Recalls Anecdote She Shared With Virat Kohli That Inspired Her

Smriti Mandhana also recalled an anecdote she shared with team India skipper Virat Kohli that inspired her

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New Delhi: Swashbuckling India opener Smriti Mandhana feels IPL styled tournament will help in lessening the gap between the international and domestic circuit in India. Women cricketers have consistently improved their game in the past few years. The year 2017 was a brilliant year in terms of cricket for 'The Women in Blue' as they qualified for Women's World Cup final. This year, they performed consistently well to reach in the finals against Australia in T20 World Cup. "Women's cricket in Indian is growing massively, especially the domestic circuit," Mandhana said on BBC podcast 'The Doosra'. "But there's still a lot of gap between international and domestic circuit which I think will be bridged in 2-3 years." Mandhana also recalled an anecdote she shared with team India skipper Virat Kohli that inspired her. "I spoke to Virat in New Zealand last year. Both of us had got the ICC award he said 'Your team can do something in India that the men's team can't. That is change the culture of women in India and that you all as the team have a big role to play in future. Whenever you feel like a gym session think that you can inspire a generation of women to take up sports." Mandhana believes it is the right time for a five-six team women's Indian Premier League. "I'm sure a lot of IPL style matches will take place for a year or two. A five or six-team IPL for women will be great for Indian women's cricket specially for the World Cups," Mandhana said. Recently, Jhulan Goswami also batted for Women's Indian Premier League. "The BCCI is going to decide that (Women's IPL). Whenever COVID-19 ends, the board will take a call on how things are moving and how the girls are performing," Goswami, who retired from T20Is last year, told IANS. "Definitely we are all looking forward to have a women's IPL. It will help Indian women's cricket. Young Indian cricketers will get a chance to play alongside top players of the world. I think the board is working on it and it will happen soon."