Smriti Mandhana lends support to campus cricket tournament for women
The cricketer said it will be a great platform for women who wish to pursue cricket professionally.
Star India opener Smriti Mandhana has lent her support to the Red Bull Campus Cricket's maiden women's edition, which is set to be held next year, saying it will be a great boost for the game in the country.
The women's competition will be held across four zones - north, south, east and west - with the winners of the zonal editions going on to play in the national finals.
"I'm very happy that Red Bull Campus Cricket will be conducting a women's edition next year. It will be a great platform for Indian women who want to play cricket professionally," Mandhana was quoted as saying in a media release issued here on Thursday.
"Many players have gotten selected for their state teams and played for national teams after playing Red Bull Campus Cricket. Players like KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Karun Nair, Manan Vohra, Anukul Roy and others have all played Red Bull Campus Cricket.
"To have a women's edition will be a great boost for women's cricket in India," she added.
The tournament gives players a chance to represent their college teams and go all the way to represent their country in the world finals.
India's women cricket has seen the rise of many star players like Mithali Raj, Harmanpreet Kaur, Poonam Yadav, Jhulan Goswami, Shafali Verma, and Smriti Mandhana.
Mumbai-born and Sangli-raised, Smriti was inspired by her father and brother who played at district level. Selected in Maharashtra's Under-15 team at nine-years old and making it to the Maharashtra Under-19 team at 11, Smriti went on to become a trailblazer in the field.
Last year, Smriti made history and became the first woman to score 24-ball half-century, the fastest by an Indian woman, in the first T20 International against New Zealand.
(Disclaimer: Additional background information has been added to this PTI copy for context)
