Smriti Mandhana continued her stunning form, scoring a 50-ball half-century against Australia in the third ODI in Delhi. Mandhana now has the most hundreds (13*) among all openers in women’s ODIs, with only Meg Lanning ahead (15) overall. New Zealand’s Suzie Bates also has 13 centuries. In a monster run-chase after Australia set a target of 413, Mandhana was on song from the word go before eventually falling for a 63-ball 125. Mandhana had scored a century in the second ODI as well as India beat Australia in Mullanpur. Mandhana’s rich ODI form has seen her score four centuries this year, matching her tally from 2024 as well. The 50-ball century is the fastest recorded by an Indian in women’s ODIs and secnd behind Lanning’s 45-ball ton.
Mandhana has now scored 50-plus 45 times in this format, the fifth most in women’s ODIs, behind Mithali Raj (71), Charlotte Edwards (55), Bates (50), and Stephanie Taylor (48). Mandhana’s knock on Saturday was studded with 17 fours and five sixes. She was involved in a car accident 69-ball 121 run partnership with captain Harmanpreet Kaur. But both the captain and vice captain fell in quick succession. Mandhana’s dismissal came off a high full toss off Grace Harris’ bowling.
The Indian opener’s form has earned rich praise from Lanning, whose record of 15 ODI centuries is well within Mandhana’s reach now.
“She’s got a lot of good cricket ahead of her, Smriti [Mandhana],” Lanning told The ICC Review. “She’s already a world-class player, has been for a long time, and especially in this format of the game, she’s capable of really making those match-winning scores and those big hundreds, and they’re the players you worry about as an opposition team. She’s shown that time and time again that she’s very dangerous and able to perform under pressure in big moments. So she’s setting herself up nicely for a really big World Cup,” the former Australian captain added.
Lanning had also said that, when she was the captain, Mandhana took up a lot of time during team planning sessions. “She took up a lot of time in our planning meetings, that’s for sure,” Lanning said. “She’s developed her game a lot as well. I think we’ve seen the Australians use Ash Gardner a lot up front to her in the past. I think off spin’s been a good match-up [against her]. So I think a lot of teams around the world will try and employ that. The conditions come into it a little bit. The wickets over there seem to be pretty good, but if there is a little bit more turn and spin in it, then yeah, you might see teams opening with spin a little bit more. But yeah, she’s certainly very difficult to bowl to. And as I said, she takes up a lot of time in terms of planning. So it’ll be interesting to see if any teams come up with anything different.”
Earlier in the day, it was another left-hander who scored another stunning ton. Beth Mooney powered Australia to their joint highest-ever innings total of 412 all out against India. With the effort, Australia also posted the highest-ever innings total against India in this format, surpassing their own mark of 371/8 set in Brisbane last year.
Mooney’s whirlwind 138 off 79 balls lit up the middle overs after young opener Georgia Voll (81), star allrounder Ellyse Perry (68) and skipper Alyssa Healy (30) provided the early fireworks after electing to bat first.
India conceded 60 fours and five sixes and the fielding unit floundered yet again with dropped chances and misfields. After Healy’s departure, Voll and Perry then consolidated with a 107-run stand, punishing India’s inconsistent lengths. Then Mooney swept, cut and lofted with authority, dismantling the spinners and pacers alike as she hit 23 fours and a six to put Australia in a commanding position. Seasoned off-spinner Deepti Sharma, however, produced a three-wicket 45th over, triggering a mini-collapse including Mooney’s dismissal via a run out.
(With PTI inputs)
