File photo of Smriti Mandhana
India captain Mithali Raj on Sunday lavished praise on batter Smriti Mandhana, who got her maiden Test century here, and veteran fast bowler Jhulan Goswami after their one-off pink ball Test against Australia ended in a draw.
"Smriti has been very impressive. I was impressed by Yastika Bhatia and Richa Ghosh too in the one-dayers. I am sure Harmanpreet (who is injured) will take the field in the T20s," said Mithali in the presentation ceremony.
She further said 38-year-old Jhulan also showed why she has been the best from her country for such a long time. "Jhulan has always been our best bowler for so many years and we got to see why she was the best. She shared her experience and young seamers Pooja Vastrakar and Meghna Singh were given an opportunity alongside Jhulan so that they learn a lot," the Indian skipper said.
India were dominant throughout the match, with Smriti's super hundred in the first innings putting them beyond 'hosts' reach. However, they did not have enough time to dismiss the hosts twice with almost one entire day of the match washed out.
Mithali said that the visitors would have attempted a few more overs had they got about four more wickets in the Australian second innings. The match ended in a draw with Australia on 36/2 as the two teams shook hands.
