Fresh from India’s maiden ICC Women’s ODI World Cup victory, star all-rounder Sneh Rana shared insights into her cricketing inspirations and teammates. In a recent interview with an entertainment portal, Sneh Rana was asked to choose between India vice-captain Smriti Mandhana and star batter Virat Kohli as her favourite cricketer. Without hesitation, she picked Smriti Mandhana, praising her teammate’s consistency and leadership.
Smriti Mandhana played a vital role in India’s World Cup success, finishing as the tournament’s second highest run-scorer with 434 runs in nine matches at an impressive average of 54.25. Her performance was instrumental in guiding the team to their historic win against South Africa in the final.
Sneh Rana herself made key contributions with both bat and ball throughout the tournament. She scored 99 runs in five innings at a strike rate of 113.79 and an average of 49.5, while also claiming seven wickets at an economy rate of 5.67. Her all-round performance added depth and balance to the Indian lineup during crucial moments.
Meanwhile, Virat Kohli was part of India’s men team that faced Australia in a home ODI series, where he recovered from two early ducks to score an unbeaten 74 in the final match.
In the same interview, Sneh Rana also drew interesting parallels between players of the women’s and men’s teams. When asked which cricketer displayed Virat Kohli’s trademark aggression, she named captain Harmanpreet Kaur who joined Kapil Dev and MS Dhoni as the only Indian captains to win an ODI World Cup. Harmanpreet Kaur’s leadership and her 260 runs in eight innings, including two half-centuries, highlighted her influence.
When it came to calmness and composure, Sneh Rana compared herself to MS Dhoni, noting that maintaining composure under pressure is a quality she values deeply. With experience across four Tests, 44 ODIs and 29 T20Is, Sneh Rana has established herself as one of India’s most dependable all-rounders – both steady and spirited, much like her idols.
Well, both Smriti Mandhana and Virat Kohli are wonderful cricketers and making a choice between them is very tough. What do you say?
