India women’s national cricket team vice-captain Smriti Mandhana got some special class before her team’s biggest match of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026. After India’s five-wicket win over Bangladesh in Manchester on June 25, Smriti Mandhana had the golden opportunity to learn from one of the greatest batters the game has ever seen – Matthew Hayden.
With the India women’s national cricket team set to face the Australia women’s national cricket team in a must-win match on Sunday (June 28) at Lord’s, she wanted to make the most of every opportunity to improve her batting, and the former Australia opener welcomed her with an open heart. Recently, Smriti Mandhana featured alongside Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Alcaraz on elite list.
Smriti Mandhana’s 20-minute masterclass with Matthew Hayden goes viral before Australia clash
Smriti Mandhana walked up to Matthew Hayden after India’s ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 match against Bangladesh, and the two spent around 20 minutes discussing different aspects of batting at the Old Trafford Cricket Ground in Manchester.
Hayden, who is part of the commentary team for the ongoing ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026, shared his experience with the Indian vice-captain, who grew up admiring and idolizing the legendary Australian batter. They spoke about moving the feet better, getting the timing right and staying confident while batting against quality bowlers.
As Hayden was teaching the batting lessons to Mandhana, the Indian women’s superstar listened closely. The former Australian opener explained how to control an innings and put pressure back on the opposition. Their on-ground class caught plenty of attention and went viral online.
Two Greats. One language – Batting. 🏏#SmritiMandhana learning from one of the game’s finest, Matthew Hayden.
Watch her next in ICC Women’s #T20WorldCup 2026 | #INDvAUS | SUN, 28th JUN, 6 PM pic.twitter.com/W5dz1eHOgu
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) June 25, 2026
Smriti Mandhana spent nearly 20 minutes picking the brain of Australian legend Matthew Hayden.
India face Australia in a do-or-die clash on Sunday.#CricketTwitter #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/GtkLUmpLf3
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) June 25, 2026
Smriti Mandhana turns to childhood hero Matthew Hayden after back-to-back failures
Mandhana turned to Hayden for some crucial advice after her couple of poor performances in the ongoing ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026. In her last two outings, the star batter has managed only 17 runs off 12 balls against South Africa and then scored only 8 runs off 6 balls against Bangladesh.
Well, the meeting was a personal special moment for Mandhana. Hayden has been one of her favourite cricketers since childhood. She has often spoken about watching him bat while growing up and admiring the fearless way he attacked bowlers from the very first ball.
She openly reiterated her admiration for Hayden during her Women’s Big Bash League stint with the Brisbane Heat. At that time, the Indian vice-captain had said that she always enjoyed watching the Australian great dominate bowling attacks and had tried to learn from his approach.
India eye direct Semifinal ticket against Australia
Meanwhile, the India women’s national cricket team are in brilliant form in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 and are sitting second on the Group A table with 6 points from 4 games so far, behind Australia, who are in red-hot form, winning all of their four games in the tournament so far.
India now has only one game left to book their berth in the semifinals, and that is also against the dominant Australian side on Sunday. If they manage to beat them, the Indian side would not have to depend on the other teams’ results to go their way for the semifinal qualification.
South Africa can give India a tough fight, as they also have 6 points and one game remaining in the group stage, while the rest of the teams have already been eliminated from the scenario.
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Author: Rashmi Wasnik
