Watch: Smriti Mandhana's heartwarming gesture as she presents mobile phone to devoted fan with disability

India women's batter Smriti Mandhana won the hearts of many with her gesture after the game against Pakistan in the ongoing Women's Asia Cup 2024. The vice-captain of the team gifted a mobile phone to the handicapped fan who came to the ground to attend the game.

Smriti Mandhana was one of the major factors behind India winning the game against Pakistan in the Asia Cup and starting the tournament on high. The opening batter played a solid innings for the team and made sure her team won the game pretty comfortably to kick off the campaign.

India was asked for the field first and they were on top of their game with the ball. Deepti Sharma was the key architect for her team with the ball as she picked three wickets while Renuka Singh, Pooja Vastrakar, and Shreyanka Patil bagged two wickets each.

Based on the collective effort with the ball, India Women bundled out Pakistan for 108 runs. Sidra Ameen (25) and Fatima Sana (22*) played vital innings for their team. Their effort ensured that Pakistan Women went past 100 runs on the board at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium in Dambulla.

With the bat then, it was Smriti Mandhana who made sure that she took her team off to a flying start. The opening batter along with Shafali Verma (40) added 85 runs for the opening partnership before others chipped in and sealed the game for their team to win the game by 7 wickets in hand.

Smriti Mandhana ended with an inning of 45 runs off 31 balls. The opening batter had a strike rate of over 145 and slammed 9 fours in her innings. She continued her golden touch with the bat as India Women chased the target inside 15 overs to win their first game of the tournament.

While her innings with the bat were exceptional, Smriti Mandhana also made the headlines for her antics after the game. The opening batter went to a special fan and gifted her a mobile phone. The video of the incident went viral and here's the clip:

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… p<!---->i<!---->c<!---->.<!---->t<!---->w<!---->i<!---->t<!---->t<!---->e<!---->r<!---->.<!---->c<!---->o<!---->m<!---->/<!---->i<!---->q<!---->g<!---->L<!---->2<!---->R<!---->N<!---->E<!---->9<!---->v

— Sri Lanka Cricket 🇱🇰 (@OfficialSLC) J<!---->u<!---->l<!---->y<!----> <!---->2<!---->0<!---->,<!----> <!---->2<!---->0<!---->2<!---->4

We look to start well so credit to Smriti and Shafali - Harmanpreet Kaur

India Women skipper Harmanpreet Kaur talked about the win over Pakistan Women. She credited the entire team for their effort and also lauded Smriti Mandhana for the kind of start she gave. Speaking to broadcasters after the game, she explained:

"Our bowlers and openers made it. The first game is always a pressure game but we managed it well. Our entire unit played well. When we are bowling we talk about early breakthroughs and in batting, we look to start well so credit to Smriti and Shafali. Playing fearless cricket, how we played today and we are really happy with the way we played. My knee is fine."

India Women's team will be next seen in action when they will take on United Arab Emirates on Sunday (21st July).