NEW CHANDIGARH: The cricketing world witnessed a historic moment as a dazzling century from Smriti Mandhana spearheaded India’s charge, finally dismantling Australia’s formidable dominance. In a thrilling second Women’s ODI at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur, India delivered a thumping 102-run victory, putting an end to their eight-match losing streak against the seven-time world champions.
Smriti Mandhana celebrates after scoring her magnificent century against Australia.
This triumph wasn’t just another win; it was Australia’s heaviest defeat margin ever in a Women’s ODI, shattering their impressive 13-match winning streak in this format. For India, it marked their first WODI victory over Australia on home soil in a remarkable 18 years, with the last one dating back to 2007. Their most recent win against the Aussies in WODIs was four years prior, on September 26, 2021, at Mackay. This spectacular comeback has leveled the series at 1-1, setting the stage for a blockbuster final ODI showdown in Delhi on September 20.
The resounding victory, following a successful tour of England, is expected to significantly boost India’s confidence as they look ahead to the 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup, which commences on September 30 in Guwahati.
Mandhana’s glorious innings of 117 runs off just 91 balls, adorned with 14 perfectly timed fours and four towering sixes, illuminated the stadium. Her batting heroics helped India post a challenging total of 292 in 49.5 overs. Complementing this, India showcased a vastly improved fielding performance, despite a few dropped catches, and an incisive bowling attack that dismissed Australia for just 190 runs in 40.4 overs.
Returning from a subpar performance in the first WODI, India’s young seamer Kranti Goud shone brightly, claiming three wickets for just 29 runs in 9.5 overs, including the decisive final wicket. Off-spinner Deepti Sharma, who had earlier contributed a crucial 40 runs from 53 balls, added two wickets for 24 runs in her six overs. The fielding was exceptional, highlighted by pacer Arundhati Reddy’s three superb catches in the deep, a brilliant catch by skipper Harmanpreet Kaur at extra cover to dismiss Annabel Sutherland (45 runs off 42 balls), and Radha Yadav’s stunning caught-and-bowled effort to send Alysse Perry back to the pavilion for 44 runs off 61 balls.
Strategically, India opted for a change, moving away from their four-spinner approach to include three seamers, bringing in an additional bowler in Reddy, while resting left-arm spinner Shree Charani. This decision, coupled with Australia resting explosive opener Phoebe Litchfield, who had scored 88 runs off 80 balls in the first WODI, proved beneficial.
Smriti Mandhana, currently in exceptional form, is undeniably poised to be a pivotal player for India in the upcoming 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup. However, the team does face some minor concerns heading into the major tournament.
Earlier that morning, middle-order batter Jemimah Rodrigues was ruled out of the remaining two matches due to viral fever, a setback that Mandhana’s incredible batting performance helped the team absorb. Veteran pacer Renuka Singh Thakur made her return from a nine-month injury layoff but was hampered by cramps/hamstring issues, limiting her bowling after taking one wicket for 28 runs in 6.3 overs.
Another area of slight concern for India is the form of captain Harmanpreet Kaur, who was dismissed by Australian off-spinner Ashleigh Gardner after scoring only 17 runs off 26 balls. The 36-year-old has managed a total of just 28 runs in the two matches of this series.
Dominating the Australian attack, Mandhana shattered several records en route to her 12th WODI century. She reached the significant milestone with a majestic lofted six over mid-off off Tahlia McGrath in the 29th over. This sensational knock also marked the fastest-ever century against Australia in WODIs, eclipsing England’s Nat Sciver’s 79-ball century during the 2022 World Cup match at Hamilton.
At 29 years old, Mandhana also recorded the second-fastest century by an Indian woman in ODIs, with her own 70-ball hundred against Ireland in Rajkot earlier this year remaining the quickest. This was her third WODI century of the year, following an impressive four centuries last year.
Having reclaimed the No. 1 ranking in WODIs after her 58-run innings in the first match of the series, Mandhana has now equaled the record for most women’s ODI centuries by an opener. Her 12th century in 106 innings as an opener for India since her 2013 debut places her alongside New Zealand’s Suzie Bates and England’s Tammy Beaumont.
Remarkably, Mandhana now stands joint-third on the overall WODI century-makers’ list, trailing only Meg Lanning (15) and Bates (13). Furthermore, this was her third WODI hundred against Australia, making her the Asian batter with the most WODI centuries against them. With a total of 15 international hundreds, she holds the record for the most international centuries by an Asian batter in women’s cricket.