ICC Women’s World T20: 5 youngsters to watch out for

#2 Smriti Mandhana, India (Mat-47, I-45, Runs-868, SR- 112.28, Avg-21.17)

Smriti Mandhana have a huge role to play for India in the upcoming World Cup

Mumbai-born Mandhana’s explosiveness at the top of the order is her unique selling proposition. She made her name in the domestic circuit by becoming the first Indian woman to score an unbeaten 224 off 150 balls in a one-day game.

The 22-year-old opens for the Women in Blue across all formats of the game. The Indian vice-captain is known for her freewheeling approach to the game. She got her first cricketing lessons from her father at the age of just four and went on to represent the nation as a 17-year-old.

It was just a matter of time before the world recognized her talent. She went on to score the truckloads of run in the coming years and her swashbuckling approach landed her a contract in the Women's Big Bash League in 2017.

Mandhana’s rise to and in international cricket has been phenomenal. She has etched her name in cricket record books several times already. She holds the record for fastest half-century scored for India in WT20I and joint-fastest in women's T20.

Her WBBL stint didn’t work out well for the Indian star, but in her maiden Kia Super League season, Mandhana smacked 421 runs in nine innings – most runs by a player in a women's T20 league anywhere in the world.

2018 has been a very productive year for the elegant left-hander. Since the start of January, she has accumulated 444 runs in 18 innings at an average of 26.11 and strike rate of 132.933.