'She was seriously unwell with a high fever, but again, to turn up and not even show it. Nobody in the team, for one second, also didn't show it.'
Key Points
- RCB is the first team to hold both the IPL and WPL titles simultaneously.
- RCB is now level with Mumbai Indians for the most WPL titles (2).
- Smriti Mandhana hit 87 from 41 balls in the final against Delhi Capitals as RCB chased down a record 204 -- the highest successful chase in the history of WPL.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru women's head coach Malolan Rangarajan lauded captain Smriti Mandhana, who hit a match-winning half-century despite struggling with flu, to power RCB to their second WPL title, in Vadodara, on Thursday.
Mandhana stroked a brilliant 41-ball 87 in the final against Delhi Capitals as RCB chased down a record 204 -- the highest successful chase in the history of WPL -- to win their second title in three years.
Rangarajan revealed that Smriti Mandhana played the final despite suffering from the flu and a high fever, highlighting her commitment as she turned up without letting her illness affect the team or her performance.
'Mandhana saved best for the final'
"Smriti, I think, saved one of her best innings for the final. The reason why I say that is, yes, she's been in very good form in the last 12 months or so, but the way she batted today was inhuman. I mean, I don't even know the word, so classy, so elegant," said the RCB coach.
"When you looked at her, you could see that she was in control of what she wanted to do. It didn't look like a chase that was 200 the way she batted. She's timing the ball, and when she wanted, she was hitting, picking the pockets in which he wanted to attack."
'Mandhana was unwell with high fever'
He stated how Mandhana assured her coach that she would definitely play in the final despite struggling with a high fecer.
"Smriti played this game with a massive, massive flu. She was seriously unwell with a high fever, but again, to turn up and not even show it. Nobody in the team, for one second, also didn't show it. So, that's the person she is. When I spoke to her this afternoon, she said, 'No problem, I'll be there.' So, that's her with her work."
Rangarajan described Mandhana as a "nerd" about her batting, crediting her constant drive to improve for her success.
"She's a nerd when it comes to her own batting, and I guess that's why she's ended up achieving what she's achieved in life. She's always looking to improve, always looking to get better at her skill. Smriti always tries, and I think luckily, and fortunately, she cracked the code two days back," he added.
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