New Delhi, Jan 15, 2025-
India skipper Smriti Mandhana smashed the fastest ODI hundred by an India women’s batter when she hit a 70-ball ton during the third and final match of the series against Ireland at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot on Wednesday.
After electing to bat first in a dead rubber game, with India already taking an unpassable 2-0 lead, Smriti put out yet another fantastic show with the bat to take Ireland’s bowlers to the cleaners and hit her tenth ODI century in 70 deliveries.
Through this, she went past regular skipper Harmanpreet Kaur’s record of hitting the fastest ton, which came off in 87 balls against South Africa in Bengaluru last year. Smriti eventually made 135 off 80 balls – laced with 12 fours and seven sixes at a strike-rate of 170.9.
She was involved in a record 233-run opening partnership with Pratika Rawal, which is the most by an Indian women’s opening pair in home ODI matches. Smriti also becomes the first Indian woman to hit 10 ODI centuries and is just the third opener after Meg Lanning (15) and Suzie Bates (13) to have 50-over tons in double digits.
The left-handed opener previously made 41 and 73 in the first two games against Ireland, with the fifty helping India post 370/5 – their highest-ever ODI total. Smriti, the left-handed opener, had a productive 2024 with the bat – making 736 runs in 21 T20I innings.
But it was in ODIs in 2024, where she was super productive – amassing 747 runs in 13 ODIs, at an average of 57.46 and strike rate of 95.15, including hitting four centuries and three fifties. Those performances were enough for Smriti to be nominated for the ICC Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Year award for 2024.(Agency)
