When the Indian cricket team needs a hero, all eyes turn to Smriti Mandhana. Wearing the iconic No. 18 jersey, famously associated with Virat Kohli, she carries not just a legacy of excellence but the immense hopes of a nation yearning for a World Cup title.
As the team’s vice-captain and the world’s top-ranked ODI batter, her role is undeniably central to India’s ambitions. With the 2025 Women’s World Cup just around the corner, India’s quest for a maiden ICC trophy largely depends on her elegant yet explosive performance.
Mandhana’s recent brilliance was on full display in the three-match ODI series against Australia. She scored a rapid 58 off 63 balls and then delivered a match-winning 117 off just 91 deliveries, propelling India to a historic 102-run victory in New Chandigarh – their first home ODI win against Australia since 2007. In the subsequent Delhi finale, she further astonished fans by unleashing a record-breaking 125 runs off merely 63 balls, marking India’s fastest-ever ODI century and the second-fastest globally, only behind Meg Lanning’s 45-ball feat. Her innings was a masterclass of signature cover drives and a blistering 198.41 strike rate.
These remarkable performances unequivocally signal Smriti Mandhana’s peak form as an opener. Her statistics for 2025 are nothing short of phenomenal: 928 runs in 14 ODI innings at an average of 66.28, including four centuries and three fifties. Beyond her heroics against Australia, she also hammered an 80-ball 135 against Ireland and scored 116 in the Tri-Series final against Sri Lanka. Her exceptional fifty-to-century conversion rate highlights her ruthless consistency.
At 29 years old, Mandhana is already the fastest Indian woman to reach 4,000 ODI runs. She has even surpassed Virat Kohli’s record for India’s quickest ODI century, achieving the milestone in just 50 balls. Given her incredible form and the home conditions that are expected to favor her aggressive style of play, the record books are undoubtedly on high alert this World Cup.
She is well-positioned to break Mithali Raj’s Indian record for most runs in a single edition of the World Cup (178 runs, set in 2017) and could potentially challenge Meg Lanning’s record of 15 centuries – needing just one more to equal it, or two to write her own new chapter in history.
Smriti’s journey from a 16-year-old debutant in 2013, known for her grace and glasses, to a dominant 360-degree force is a testament to her grit and genius. After overcoming a challenging ACL tear in 2017, she bounced back to be named ICC Cricketer of the Year in 2018. Her 2021 Test century (127) during India’s tour of Australia and leading RCB to the 2024 WPL title further showcase her incredible versatility. In 2025, her strike rate of 115.85 and achieving all-format centuries (the first Indian woman to do so) firmly establish her as a player of elite class.
Is she India’s greatest? Her burgeoning statistics certainly make a compelling case. As India prepares to kick off their World Cup campaign against Sri Lanka in Guwahati, Smriti’s sublime touch positions her as the undeniable trailblazer, ready to lead the charge towards glory.