Indian women’s cricket star Smriti Mandhana has talked about being compared to Virat Kohli. Both Smriti and Virat are well-known as top players in their fields and have won many awards. This success has made fans compare the two cricket stars.
During an episode of Sustainable Tea with Shreya, Smriti shared that she doesn’t enjoy these comparisons. “I don’t like being compared. Don’t compare him to me just because we both wear the No.18 jersey,” she said.
Smriti Mandhana and Virat Kohli both play for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the club level. They have also regularly played for their national team, often helping India win games. Besides their similar careers, Smriti and Virat both have a winning attitude and style.
Smriti Mandhana had talked about being compared to Kohli after she led the RCB women’s team to their first Women’s Premier League trophy.
After winning the championship, commentator Aakash Chopra asked Smriti Mandhana if she planned to give a motivational speech to the Royal Challengers Bangalore men’s team, who haven’t won an IPL title yet.
In a difficult spot, Smriti gave a cautious response, stating that her success with RCB paled in comparison to Virat Kohli’s accomplishments in cricket.
She explained, “Virat Kohli has done so much. He’s a superstar in cricket. He’s won a World Cup and a Champions Trophy. I think winning in franchise cricket often depends more on luck. I hope this win (the WPL Trophy) brings good luck to RCB. You can never be sure.”
Chopra’s question referred to the moment when Virat Kohli spoke to Bengaluru’s women’s team in 2023, right before the start of the first season of the Women’s Premier League.
On the other hand, Smriti Mandhana is preparing to play in the Women’s T20 World Cup in 2024. In contrast, Virat Kohli is not expected to play until India’s two-match Test series against Bangladesh in September.
