Mandhana scored the fastest century for India in women’s ODI along the way
Smriti Mandhana and Pratika Rawal shared a 233-run opening stand • BCCI
Innings India 435 for 5 (Rawal 154, Mandhana 135, Ghosh 59, Prendergast 2-2-71) vs Ireland
In a record-shattering display in Rajkot, India piled up 435 for 5, their highest ODI total, going past the 370 for 5 they made in the previous game. Overall, this is the fourth-highest total in women’s ODIs.
Not even the toss went Ireland’s way. After opting to bat, Smriti Mandhana showed the way by smashing the fastest ODI hundred by an India batter. She reached the mark in 70 balls, breaking Harmanpreet Kaur’s record by 17 balls. In her 135 off 80 balls, Mandhana hit 12 fours and seven sixes, equalling Harmanpreet’s record for the most sixes by an India batter in an innings.
Pratika Rawal, Mandhana’s opening partner, reached her maiden ODI hundred in 100 balls and went on to compile 154 off 129. Only two India batters have a higher individual score in the format: Deepti Sharma (188) and Harmanpreet (171*).
Mandhana and Rawal added 233 for the first wicket, the third-highest opening stand for India in ODIs. The floodgates had opened as soon as the third over when Rawal hit Orla Prendergast for three fours. By the end of the sixth over, she had moved to 29 off 25 with the help of six fours.
Mandhana did not have much strike till then. She even got a life in the seventh over when wicketkeeper Christina Coulter Reilly, standing up to Arlene Kelly, failed to grab an outside edge. Mandhana was on 12 off 13 at that point but took over the aggressor’s role after that, hitting Kelly for two fours in the very over. In the seamer’s next over, Mandhana hit her for two sixes and a four.
Mandhana and Rawal brought up India’s hundred in the 13th over. This was their fourth century stand in just six innings they have opened together.
Soon after that, Mandhana reached her fifty, off just 39 balls. Rawal followed suit; hers coming off 52 balls. It was her fourth 50-plus score in six ODIs.
Mandhana was now batting on a different plane. It felt more like a free-wheeling centre-wicket practice than a contest as she tried to dispatch as many balls to the boundary as possible. Ireland’s wayward bowling and poor ground fielding helped her further. Such was her dominance that she left Rawal well behind. When she brought up her hundred, off 70 balls, Rawal was only on 72 off 69.
Mandhana was dismissed when she failed to clear short fine leg against Prendergast. But there was no respite for Ireland as Richa Ghosh, promoted to No. 3, took over the baton and scored 59 off 42 balls. She and Rawal added 104 in 12 overs.
Rawal opened up after her hundred and raked in 54 off the next 29 balls she faced. Today’s innings took her ODI run tally to 444 – no batter has scored more in her first six innings.
By now, there was more interest in if India could reach 400 than anything else. They got there with four overs to spare, and then got some more.
Hemant Brar is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo
