Following their triumph in the three-match ODI series and a commanding 10-wicket win in the one-off Test, the India – South Africa series in its final leg moved to the three T20Is. The series opener was played on July 5 at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. In a competitive encounter, South Africa emerged victorious over India by a margin of 12 runs, registering their first win on this tour.
The opening T20I of the series between India and South Africa might not have gone the home team’s way and the second match also ended up as no result due to rain but the third match of the series was a landmark occasion for Smriti Mandhana. The elegant left-hander etched her name even deeper into cricketing history by surpassing the incredible milestone of 7,500 runs in international cricket. The left-handed batter marked her T20 debut against Bangladesh in 2013, where she top-scored for India with 39 runs off 36 balls, contributing to a 10-run victory. Less than a week later, she made her ODI debut against the same opponent.
Smriti Mandhana demonstrated exceptional form and consistency across multiple formats during the series against South Africa. In the ODIs, she began with a century in the first match, scoring 117 runs and surpassing 7000 international runs, becoming only the second Indian woman, after former captain Mithali Raj, to surpass the milestone mark. She followed it up with another century in the second ODI, accumulating 136 runs, and contributed 90 runs in the third ODI, totalling an impressive 343 runs from the 3 ODIs.
🚨 Milestone 🚨
Smriti Mandhana completes 7500 International Runs. 🤩🙌
The run-machine for India 🔥#CricketTwitter #INDvSA pic.twitter.com/XKA4hrB7WV
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) July 9, 2024
In the one-off Test match, Mandhana played a pivotal role with a commanding innings of 149 runs, featuring 27 boundaries and 1 six. Partnering with Shafali Verma, they recorded the highest-ever partnership for India in Test cricket, amassing 292 runs together.
Despite India’s loss in the T20I series opener, Mandhana’s strong performance continued as she scored 46 runs off 30 deliveries, including 7 boundaries and 2 sixes. Throughout the series, she showcased her ability to score consistently and decisively, accumulating more than 500 runs across all formats.
