Visakhapatnam, India: Indian star opener Smriti Mandhana carved her name into the annals of cricket history on Sunday during the Women's ODI World Cup match against Australia. In a scintillating display of batting prowess, Mandhana not only guided India's innings with a rapid-fire 66-ball 80 but also became the first-ever player to breach the 1,000-run mark in Women's ODIs within a single calendar year!
But the milestones didn't stop there for the elegant left-hander. Mandhana, at just 29 years old, also completed an astonishing 5,000 runs in women’s ODIs, joining an elite club as only the fifth and the second Indian batter, after the legendary Mithali Raj, to achieve this monumental feat. Her journey to 5,000 runs was nothing short of remarkable, making her the youngest and fastest to the milestone, reaching it in a mere 112 innings and off 5,569 balls. This incredible pace surpasses previous records held by West Indies' Stafanie Taylor (129 innings) and New Zealand's Suzie Bates (6,182 balls).
Having endured a somewhat quiet start to the tournament, Mandhana roared back to form in spectacular fashion against Australia. Her explosive innings of 80 runs, adorned with nine fours and three towering sixes, set the stage for India. Crucially, she forged a formidable 155-run opening partnership with Pratika Rawal, marking the first century opening stand of the competition and providing a solid foundation for her team.
Mandhana, who began the day needing just 18 runs to reach the 1,000-run annual landmark, wasted no time. In the eighth over, she launched an aggressive assault on Australian left-arm spinner Sophie Molineux, smashing her for a four, a six, and another four in a blistering over that yielded 16 runs, thus sealing her place in the record books. With this, she eclipsed Australia's Belinda Clark's long-standing record of 970 runs in a calendar year, set way back in 1997.
Her innings began with intent, finding the boundary off the final ball of the first over from Kim Garth. However, it was the over against Molineux that truly ignited her performance, showcasing her ability to effortlessly dissect the field with silken drives and powerful aerial strokes.
After modest scores against Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and South Africa, Mandhana demonstrated a completely different level of fluency and authority against her "favourite" opposition, Australia, after they elected to bowl first. Her return to form is a massive boost for India's campaign in the ODI World Cup, and fans are undoubtedly eagerly anticipating more record-breaking performances from this batting sensation!
.jpg)
0 Comments