Indian women’s stand-in captain Smriti Mandhana has etched her name into the history books with her sensational knock on Wednesday (January 15). Mandhana hit the fastest hundred by an Indian player in the Women’s ODIs in the ongoing game against Ireland at Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot.
Mandhana returned with knocks of 41 and 73 in the first two ODIs, but she managed to convert her start into a three-figure mark in the final game of the series. The 28-year-old won the toss and chose to bat. She arrived at the crease along with youngster Pratika Rawal.
The duo looked flawless with their timing and aggressive intent, as the Indian team reached the 100-run mark in less than 13 overs. Smriti Mandhana continued her terrific momentum to complete her century off 70 balls, and got past Harmanpreet’s record of 87 balls. She registered the joint-seventh fastest ton by a women’s player, with former Australia captain Meg Lanning achieving the milestone in 45 balls.
With 10 centuries, Mandhana also joins Tammy Beaumont in terms of most centuries in the WODI format. Meanwhile, Lanning ended her career with 15 centuries last year.
Unfortunately, Smriti Mandhana was dismissed by Orla Prendergast for 135 off 80 in the 27th over, which also broke the opening stand of 233 runs. Mandhana’s knock comprised 12 fours and seven sixes.
Interestingly, Mandhana scored the most runs ever by a player in women’s cricket in a single calendar year. She slammed 747 runs in 13 games at an average of 57.46, while hitting four hundreds, which is another record. As a result, Mandhana was nominated for the ICC Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Year 2024 award as well. The result will be made public after the analysis of fan votes and picks by the panel.
Pratika Rawal – Smriti Mandhana lead India to their highest-ever ODI total
Despite the dismissal of her partner Smriti Mandhana, Pratika Rawal was steadfast with her same approach and steered the team at a comfortable rate. She got a talented ally in the form of Richa Ghosh, who slammed 59 off 42 balls and stitched a 104-run stand with Rawal.
Pratika Rawal went on to register her highest ODI score of 154 off 129 balls, which saw her hit 20 fours and a six. Tejal Hasabnis (28) was the major contributor later in the innings as the Indian women’s team posted 435 on the board. Interestingly, they achieved their record total in the 50-over format, while getting past their earlier best of 370, which they posted in the last game.
India have already gained an unassailable lead of 2-0 in the ODI series. It will be interesting to see whether they can secure a 3-0 clean sweep.
