Create that culture where winning becomes a habit – Smriti Mandhana on her primary role as a leader

Smriti Mandhana’s batting flair has been renowned across the planet but if there is one thing that she very silently does super effectively, it is being a leader.

Whether with the official captain’s arm band or the vice-captain of the side, Mandhana’s presence has always been that of a leader.

Talking on BBC’s Stumped Podcast, Mandhana revealed how the habit of winning was ingrained in her and how being a leader also impacts that. She also picked her favourite between being a leader and her habit of winning and surprisingly, both of them were intertwined.

Emphasizing on her role as a leader, Smriti said, “See, I think winning is very important, and that's something, that's a culture which we all really try to create, whether wherever you are playing, whichever part of the team you are playing, and in whichever form you are in, you are in as a player or you are in as a leader, I think that's a culture which we look to create.”

Highlighting how the initiative to motivate players also gets her rolling, Smriti added, “I think I'm sure that is the only thing which is driving all of us as players to create that sort of a culture, be the leader or a captain, and a captain or a player. You just have to create that culture where winning becomes a habit and winning feels, yeah, I mean, winning just feels normal.”