India’s vice-captain Smriti Mandhana is full of praise for the leadership of teenager Hannah Darlington.

Darlington, aged 19, named skipper of WBBL defending champions the Sydney Thunder after border closures. And a new child prompted the withdrawal of veteran Rachael Haynes.

The Thunder lost the first four games of their title defense. They have since registered victories over the Hobart Hurricanes and Melbourne Stars, setting up a crunch clash with the Brisbane Heat at the Adelaide Oval on Sunday. According to Mandhana, Darlington was a picture of sobriety and positivity during a bad start.

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Mandhana told AAP, “It is important as a leader that you don’t let pressure or anything show on your face.” “She was really good in those four games, just kept focusing on the positive and had a major role to play in that [change].

“She looks pretty relaxed and calm for her age. She’s doing an amazing job leading a team at her age. She’s quite sociable, that’s the best thing about her and as a captain.” That’s what you want.”

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Darlington recently made her international debut during a multi-format series, becoming just the third Indigenous woman to play cricket for Australia.