When the 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup began in Guwahati almost a month ago, India were high on hope to break their big tournament jinx. For that, runs from Smriti Mandhana’s bat were going to be crucial.
After an indifferent start to the tournament, the left-hander came into her own in the innings against Australia at Vizag, where an 80 off 66 balls helped her regain confidence and rhythm.
Smriti took India almost to victory’s doorstep against England but her best was seen on Thursday in the crucial game against New Zealand at the D.Y. Patil Stadium. She sizzled her way to a 14th ODI hundred – India’s first in the tournament – setting the best possible foundation, along with Pratika Rawal, to take the co-hosts to a massive score.
The crawl before the storm
The innings had begun on a sedate note, however. With the New Zealand pacers not offering any room, Smriti’s strength through the offside was negated significantly, thereby requiring her to find new areas of the ground to score in.
But on a pitch with little life, the shackles were waiting to be broken, sooner rather than later. Spin was brought on as early as the seventh over, in the form of Eden Carsen. Smriti sensed a chance to lift the scoring rate and hit the off-spinner over long-off for a six to boost the scoring.
The shot also indicated the lack of turn on the surface and the six would set the tone for the remainder of her innings. At the other end, New Zealand skipper Sophie Devine introduced Amelia Kerr into the attack.
But that change also worked in Smriti’s favour. She made full use of the inward angle, peppering the on-side boundary where Devine, surprisingly, did not move the mid-wicket fielder a bit squarer to tempt her into trying to score in a different area of the ground, even after she had struck a few fours in that direction.
After a slow start, Smriti had suddenly raced to her fifty off 49 balls. After taking nine deliveries to get off the mark, she went at better than a run-a-ball for the rest of her innings. Her scoring rate only improved after she reached her half-century. However, the Navi Mumbai heat was also starting to affect her.
The D.Y. Patil Stadium is enclosed on almost all sides with only gaps on either side of the dressing rooms allowing some air to enter the venue. Unlike the Wankhede Stadium or the Brabourne, there is very little breeze blowing into the venue.
Story continues below this ad
Using the long handle on the legside
With that in mind, Mandhana decided to take the aerial route more often and got the desired results. She carved out 12 runs in the 23rd over from Devine and later again went after the leg-spin of Kerr, taking her for 11 runs in the 29th over.
Devine had placed a fielder on the cover fence for almost the entirety of the innings. But the erratic New Zealand bowlers never gave that fielder much work. Smriti’s innings was dominated by her legside play and knocked the stuffing out of the opposition.
She got to her hundred off 89 balls, but by that time, the heat had taken a lot out of her, and the left-hander fell for a superb 109 off 95 balls, coming to the party in a high-pressure game.
