Women’s Asia Cup: Smriti Mandhana gifts phone to young cricket fan in wheelchair

Dambulla, July 20:  Following India’s seven-wicket victory over Pakistan in their first match of the 2024 Women’s Asia Cup, vice-captain Smriti Mandhana displayed a brilliant gesture towards a young cricket fan in a wheelchair. In the video shared by Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) on its ‘X’ handle, Smriti presented a mobile phone to a young fan named Adeesha Herath and clicked a picture with the young girl, who was accompanied by her mother.

“Adeesha Herath's love for cricket brought her to the stadium, despite all the challenges. The highlight of her day? A surprise encounter with her favorite cricketer, Smriti Mandhana, who handed her a mobile phone as a token of appreciation. 𝐌𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐦e,” captioned the SLC.

Smriti even talked to Adeesha for some time and did a high-five with her at the end of the brief chat. "We came to watch the match unexpectedly as my daughter wanted to go for the match. We met Mandhana madam from the India team and my daughter received a phone from her.”

“It was unexpected, and my daughter is so lucky to receive this gift from her. I'm so happy and thank you for selecting my daughter as the winner," said Adeesha's mother in the heart-warming video.

Coming to Friday’s match, bowlers shone in a top-notch performance, led by Deepti Sharma’s 3-20, to bowl out Pakistan for 108 and set the base for India’s seven-wicket victory over Pakistan.

Smriti and Shafali Verma shared an 85-run opening partnership off just 57 balls to help India chase down the total with 35 balls to spare. India, the defending champions, will next face Nepal in their second Group A game of the 2024 Women’s Asia Cup on Sunday afternoon.