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| Smriti Mandhana celebrates her century during the first women's ODI cricket match between India and South Africa (PTI) |
Smriti Mandhana's brilliant century guided India to a formidable total of 265/8 against South Africa in the first ODI at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Sunday. Mandhana’s century, her first on home soil, propelled her into an elite club alongside Mithali Raj, having now surpassed 7000 runs across formats.
India’s Innings Recap
India suffered early setbacks with Shafali Verma (7 off 12 balls) and Dayalan Hemalatha (12 off 16 balls) departing quickly. Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur also fell early for 11 off 11 balls, reducing India to 55-3 in 11.2 overs. However, Mandhana stabilized the innings with her composed and masterful batting performance.
Records Set by Mandhana
· Sixth ODI Century: Mandhana’s century, her sixth in ODIs, was scored on a sluggish Chinnaswamy pitch. She reached her ton by taking a single off Masabata Klaas in the 42nd over.
· First Century at Home: This century was Mandhana’s first on home soil.
· 7000 International Runs: With this century, Mandhana surpassed 7000 international runs across all formats, joining Mithali Raj in this elite club.
· Highest ODI Score at Home: Mandhana now holds the record for the highest ODI score by an Indian woman at home, surpassing Mithali Raj’s 109 against the West Indies. Mandhana’s knock of 117 off 121 balls featured 12 fours and a six.
· Second-Highest Century Maker: Mandhana is India’s second-highest century maker in ODIs, trailing only behind Mithali Raj who has seven centuries.
Most Runs in Women’s Cricket (Across Formats)
1. Mithali Raj (India): 10,868 runs
2. Charlotte Edwards (England): 10,273 runs
3. Suzie Bates (New Zealand): 9,904 runs
4. Stafanie Taylor (West Indies): 8,940 runs
5. Meg Lanning (Australia): 8,352 runs
6. Smriti Mandhana (India): 7,059 runs
Mandhana's Post-Innings Comments
Reflecting on her innings, Mandhana said, "I knew that I have never scored a century in India but it didn’t come to my mind when I was batting. Really happy that we have got to a good score. It was a little two-paced wicket, it was not a bad wicket to bat on, one-odd ball was keeping low, another was taking off, it's not a bad wicket to bat on and that’s why I mentioned we need to go out and bowl well."
