IND-W vs SA-W: Smriti Mandhana Smashes Century Against South Africa, Breaks Harmanpreet Kaur’s Record

Smriti Mandhana silenced her critics with a brilliant century during the first ODI between India and South Africa in Bengaluru on Sunday, June 16. This knock ended her international century drought that had stretched for two years.

The 27-year-old left-handed opener played a valiant innings, scoring 117 runs off just 127 balls. Her knock, which included ten fours and a six, was crucial in helping India recover from an early collapse, which saw the Women in Blue losing their top five batters for under 100 runs.

Smriti Mandhana found an able ally in Deepti Sharma, and the duo stitched together an impressive 81-run partnership for the sixth wicket. This partnership took India past the 200-run mark and provided them with a much-needed platform to build a competitive total.

Deepti contributed a valuable 37 runs, while Smriti Mandhana fell in the 47th over while attempting a big shot. This century marks Mandhana’s sixth in ODIs and her second against South Africa. Her last international hundred came against West Indies during the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup in 2022.

Smriti Mandhana Overtakes Harmanpreet Kaur’s Milestone

With this, she surpassed the Indian Woman Cricket team captain Harmanpreet Kaur to hold the record of most centuries in ODIs by an active cricketer. Harmanpreet Kaur has a total of five ODI centuries to his name to date.

Meanwhile, Smriti Mandhana’s knock was not just about ending her personal drought; it also helped India post a respectable total of 265/8 on the board. Pooja Vastrakar’s unbeaten 31 runs in the death overs further bolstered India’s score. For South Africa, Ayabonga Khaka and Masabata Klaas were the pick of the bowlers, taking three and two wickets respectively.