Smriti Mandhana birthday: Indian batter's 1st double-century has a Rahul Dravid connection

Indian women's national team cricketer Smriti Mandhana is celebrating her 25th birthday today on July 18. The 2017 World Cup finalist has remained one of the most prolific Indian batters since her international debut in 2013. Mandhana got her first break when she became the first Indian batswoman to score a double century in an ODI game. She scored the double ton in a game between Maharashtra and Gujarat, where she hit a whopping 224 runs in just 150 balls. However, what many people don't know is that Mandhana scored the double century using former India cricketer Rahul Dravid's bat. 

'It had perfect balance'

Mandhana had admitted scoring the double century using Dravid's bat during an interview with sports presenter Gaurav Kapoor. During her conversation with Kapoor, Mandhana revealed that the double century she scored in a one-day game in 2013 was with Dravid's signed bat. Mandhana said her elder brother Shravan had obtained a signed bat for her after meeting with Rahul Dravid in Bengaluru. Mandhana added she had intended to keep the bat as a showpiece at her home, but after picking it up and discovering its incredible balance, she decided to go out and play with it.

Mandhana scored a double century with the bat, becoming the first Indian female cricketer to do so in a limited-overs match. Mandhana's double-ton consisted of 32 boundaries, and she achieved the feat in just 138 balls, a record that is yet to be broken. Interestingly, the fastest double-century in men's ODI was also scored off just 138 balls, a feat achieved by West Indies great Chris Gayle during the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup. Mandhana's record-breaking double-ton had come three years after Sachin Tendulkar became the first cricketer in the world to score a double-century in an ODI game in 2010. 

As far as Mandhana's career is concerned, she holds multiple other records, including the first Indian female cricketer to play in a foreign league. Mandhana created history in 2019 when she became the youngest Indian cricketer to lead the national side in the T20I format. Mandhana also holds the record for scoring second-fastest 1000 runs for India in T20I cricket, which she achieved in her 49th innings.  

(Image Credit: AP/PTI)