Smriti Mandhana becomes the first Asian to score 10 ODI Centuries

The Indian team is hosting Ireland for the first time for a bilateral three-match ODI series from 10th to 15th January 2025. Smriti Mandhana has stepped up as the stand-in skipper in the absence of the regular skipper Harmanpreet Kaur in the ongoing series played at the Niranjan Shah Stadium.

Smriti Mandhana becomes the first Asian to score 10 ODI Centuries
Smriti Mandhana becomes the first Asian to score 10 ODI Centuries

The series has been an absolute run-fest, a typical batter’s paradise. Smriti Mandhana has been in sublime form in the ongoing three-match ODI series, with scores of 41, 73, and 135, ending as currently the 2nd highest run-scorer of the series with 249 runs at a mind-blowing strike rate of 152.76 and a mind-boggling average of 83 in three innings with the bat for her side. Her best performance in the series came in the 3rd ODI when she scored her 10th ODI century in her 97th innings in the format.

Her blazing knock (135 off 80 balls) came to an end in the 27th over of the innings bowled by Orla Prendergast. Her knock included 12 boundaries and 7 maximums in her innings, equaling skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (7 maximums en route to her whirlwind knock of 171* off 115 balls against Australia in the semi-final of the 2017 ODI World Cup) for the most number of maximums in an innings by an Indian in Women’s ODIs.

Smriti also now equals skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (52) for the most number of maximums for India with 52 maximums in the format. India posted their highest-ever total 435/5 in their quota of overs, surpassing their previous best 370/5 in the 2nd ODI of the series.

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With 10 centuries, Smriti Mandhana joins England’s Tammy Beaumont (10 in 116 innings) to equal 3rd most centuries in Women’s ODIs, behind Suzie Bates (13 in 162 innings), and Meg Lanning (15 in 102 innings). She now holds the record for the fastest century scored by an Indian in Women’s ODIs in terms of the number of balls, reaching the landmark in just 70 balls. The record was previously held by the Indian skipper Harmanpreet Kaur when she scored an 87-ball century against South Africa, last year.

She already has the most number of centuries for India in the ODI format. She now has over 4,200 career runs (4,209 runs) at a strike rate of 87.63 and an outstanding average of 46.25 with 30 half-centuries to go along with her 10 centuries in the format in 97 innings so far with the bat for India in ODIs so far.

The 28-year-old left-handed batter and the vice-captain of the Indian women’s team, Mandhana is going through a purple patch in her career, especially in the ODI format. She topped the run-scoring charts, with a breakthrough year in the format in 2024, scoring 747 runs at a strike rate of 95.15 and an outstanding average of 57.46 in 13 innings with the bat for her side in the format last year.

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Her tally of runs included 3 half-centuries and 4 centuries, the most number of centuries in a calendar year by a batter in Women’s ODIs. Her best performance with the bat for her side in the format last year came on 19th June 2024 in the 2nd ODI against South Africa, when she scored a sensational century (136 off 120 balls) at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, in Bengaluru.

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