Smriti Mandhana scored 105 runs for India in the third ODI played against Australia at WACA Ground in Perth. The century on Wednesday helped Smriti become the first player in the world to hit four ODI centuries in a calendar year.
Star Indian opener Smriti Mandhana created history on Wednesday (December 11) by becoming the first cricketer in the world to score four centuries in a calendar year in women’s ODIs. Smriti achieved the feat during the third India-Australia ODI match at WACA Ground in Perth. During the 299-run chase, Smriti opened the innings for Harmanpreet Kaur-led side and with the help of 14 fours and one six, she hammered 105 runs from 109 deliveries.
The left-handed batter added 118 runs for the second wicket with Harleen Deol (39) to keep India alive in the game, but after Deol’s dismissal, India lost steam and got out for 215 runs in 45.1 overs.
Smriti, who made her ODI debut for India on April 10, 2013 against Bangladesh in Ahmedabad has nine centuries to her name in 91 ODIs played so far. She scored her maiden century against Australia in Hobart on February 5, 2016. In 2024, she has played 10 ODIs and has 599 runs to her name.
The 28-year-old batter from Maharashtra scored back-to-back centuries for India in the ODI series played against South Africa at Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium in June 2024 and then hammered 100 runs against New Zealand in the third ODI of the bilateral series played at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on October 29, 2024.
The century against White Ferns helped Smriti break Mithali Raj’s record and become the first Indian female cricketer to score eight ODI centuries.
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A total of six batters have managed to score three ODI centuries in women’s cricket in a calendar year. Former Australian captain Belinda Clark was the first one to achieve the feat. In the year 1997 she played 16 ODIs for the Southern Stars and with the help of three centuries and four fifties scored 970 runs, which is still a record of most runs by any female cricketer in a calendar year.
New Zealand’s Sophie Devine (2018) Amy Satterthwaite (2016), Australia’s Meg Lanning (2016), South Africa’s Laura Wolvaardt (2024) and Pakistan’s Sidra Amin (2022) are the other five batters to score three ODI centuries in a calendar year.
After losing three back-to-back ODIs against Australia, the Indian women’s cricket team will now face West Indies in a three-match T20I and three-match ODI series at home. During the home assignment, Mandhana will have a chance to break Deepti Sharma’s record of scoring the most ODI runs for India in a calendar year.
Mandhana has 599 runs to her in 2024 so far whereas Deepti amassed a total of 787 runs for India in 20 ODIs played in 2017.
