Majority of the physios ruled me out of 2017 World Cup, recalls Smriti Mandhana

Star India opener Smriti Mandhana has revealed she almost gave hope of playing in the 2017 World Cup after suffering an injury in the Women’s Big Bash League the same year in January.  Smriti played for Brisbane Heat and had suffered an ACL injury (ligament tear) while bowling against Melbourne Renegades.



“It was quite funny, tearing my ACL while bowling. When I fell during the Big Bash match, I knew that it was a major injury. When I incurred the injury, the first thing I thought about was the World Cup,” Smriti was quoted as saying on the show ‘The Finish Line’.



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“80 per cent of the physios had ruled me out of the World Cup, but there were a few physios and trainers at NCA (National Cricket Academy), who thought that I will be able to make it because I am a batter.  I am lucky that I am a left-hander and I put a lot of weight on my right leg and not on my left leg, so all these factors gave the trainers confidence that I can make it to the World Cup,” she added.



Smriti had a mixed 2017 World Cup which also saw India to their second runners-up finish at the mega tournament after 2005. In the first two games, she scored 196 runs while in the next seven she managed only a total of 36 runs. In total, she scored 232 runs in nine matches in the tournament. India lost to England in the final by nine runs.