Smriti Mandhana equals Mithali Raj’s incredible achievement by being the first Indian woman to reach fifty runs in a row in an ODI.

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Smriti Mandhana

After winning the first game by 143 runs on Sunday, Smriti Mandhana scorched 136 runs in 120 balls as India looked to win the series against the team captained by Laura Wolvaardt.

Smriti Mandhana, the opening batswoman for the Indian women’s cricket team, wrote not one, but two incredible records during the second ODI between India and South Africa on Wednesday at Bengaluru’s M.Chinnaswamy Stadium.

After India defeated the Laura Wolvaardt-led team by 143 runs in the series opener on Sunday at the same location, Mandhana blasted 136 runs in 120 balls as they looked to win the series.

Mandhana scored 117 off 127 in the first match of the series in Bengaluru, hitting 12 boundaries and one six, which was enough to propel India to a match-winning total of 265 for eight. No other batter exceeded forty runs scored.

The left-hander maintained her amazing form on Wednesday, smashing another century while scoring 136 runs to help India recover from falling behind two wickets for 100 in 23 overs.

With the hit, Mandhana became the second Indian women cricket player overall, behind Sandhya Agarwal, to achieve consecutive tons in the format during a Test series against England in 1986. She also tied the record held by former India captain Mithali Raj for the most centuries in a 50-over contest with that blow.

With seven centuries apiece, they are tied for tenth place all-time on the record, with Meg Lanning, the former captain of Australia, leading the way with fifteen tons. She is tied for third place overall among openers, after Suzie Bates of New Zealand (12) and Tammy Beaumont and Charlotte Edwards of England (9).

Mandhana also achieved her greatest-ever ODI score with this performance, surpassing her previous mark of 135 against South Africa in 2018. As of right now, this is the third-highest individual score by an opener and the fourth-highest by an Indian batter in women’s ODIs.

The current series is a part of the ICC Women’s Championship cycle for 2022–2025. Ten teams will compete in a one-day game to see who qualifies for the 2025 Women’s Cricket World Cup. As the host country, India has already qualified for the competition. Australia has won the cycles from 2014–16 and 2017–20, making them the two-time defending champions.

On June 23, in Bengaluru, the series finale against South Africa will take place. A single Test match and three Twenty20 International matches will follow in Chennai.

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