Scoring her first hundred on home soil is nothing short of a dream start for Indian vice-captain Smriti Mandhana in the inaugural match of the ongoing multi-format series between South Africa and India, scheduled from June 16 to July 19.
This century comes eleven years after her white-ball debut against Bangladesh in 2013. Achieving her sixth international century, especially on her adopted home ground at M Chinnaswamy Stadium where she plays for her franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Women’s Premier League (WPL), made this century even more special, reflecting her consistent performance since her debut.
In the first ODI, Smriti Mandhana not only registered her sixth international hundred but also crossed the 7000-run mark. While batting on 58, she reached the milestone of 7000 runs and finished with an impressive 117 runs off 127 balls, including twelve boundaries and a maximum. This inning also saw her surpassing the milestone of 900 international boundaries. Smriti Mandhana has scored 3350 runs in 83 ODIs, with 26 half-centuries and six centuries to her name in the One Day format.
Reflecting on the frustration of the past 4-5 years, where she often found herself scoring 70-80 runs at home in Tests and ODIs, Smriti expressed disappointment, feeling she could have contributed more to team victories. Despite these setbacks, she expressed satisfaction at finally scoring a century at home. She hopes this achievement marks the beginning of many more to come, maintaining a positive outlook for her future performances.
Smriti mentioned, “I ended up scoring 70-80 runs and getting out. More than personal milestones in India, I would like to take the team through. But I’m also glad that it (a century at home) has finally happened.”
Discussing her approach in ODIs, she emphasized the importance of playing according to the ball without overthinking. Smriti noted that whenever she tried to accelerate aggressively, the team often lost a wicket, influencing her to play longer innings. The opener known for her aggressive batting; Smriti had to adapt to the situation after India was struggling at 99 runs with the loss of 5 wickets. She mentioned that typically, she becomes more aggressive around the 80-90 run mark, but this time she had to curb risky shots and maintain composure, even while facing dot balls. With the luxury of a 50-over game, she patiently altered her game plan to rebuild the innings. This was evident during her crucial sixth-wicket partnership of 81 runs with Deepti Sharma and another partnership of 58 runs with Pooja Vastrakar, she credited her partnerships with Deepti and Pooja for their crucial support in steadying her innings and contributing to her performance.
Smriti explained, “In ODIs, you have to play according to the situation and not think too much. Whenever I tried to attack, we lost a wicket, and perhaps that helped me stay focused.”
Smriti Mandhana expressed relief after scoring her maiden ODI century at home, ending a series of missed opportunities. Her 117-run knock played a pivotal role in India’s 143-run victory over South Africa in the series opener in Bengaluru. Smriti surpassed the 7000-run milestone in international cricket at M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
