India's opening batter Smriti Mandhana displayed a brilliant gesture towards a young differently-abled fan in Dambulla following the Asia Cup 2024 fixture against Pakistan on Friday. The left-handed batter presented a mobile phone to the young fan and clicked a picture with her as a video of the same surfaced on social media.
In the video shared by Sri Lanka cricket's official social media handle, Mandhana asked the young fan named 'Adeesha' if she liked cricket and enjoyed the match. She proceeded to present her a mobile phone, claiming that it's on behalf of the the entire team.
Adeesha's mom said the below in the video:
"We came to watch the match unexpectedly, as my daughter wanted to go for the match. We met Mandhana madam from the Indian team and my daughter received a phone from her. It was unexpected and my daughter is lucky to receive this gift from her and my daughter is so lucky to receive this gift from her. I'm so happy and thank you so much for selecting my daughter as the winner."
Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Varma set up an easy win for India after bowlers' disciplined show:
Meanwhile, Pakistan captain Nida Dar's decision to bat first could not ensure a mighty total as they folded for 108 in 19.2 overs. Deepti Sharma emerged as the pick of the bowlers for India with figures of 4-0-20-3.
In response, Mandhana and Shafali Varma shaved off over 70% of the target within 10 overs. Despite losing three wickets quickly, India coasted to a comfortable win to open their campaign in ecstatic fashion.
