IND-W vs SA-W: Smriti Mandhana Becomes Second Indian Woman to Score 7000 International Runs

Smriti Mandhana in action (AP)

A resolute hundred by vice-captain Smriti Mandhana helped India survive a top-order wobble and post a competitive 265 for eight against South Africa in the first women’s ODI here on Sunday.

Mandhana (117, 127b, 12×4, 1×6), who made her sixth ODI ton, and Deepti Sharma (37, 48b, 3×4) added 81 runs (92b) for the sixth wicket.

Pooja Vastrakar (31 not out) assisted Mandhana to make 58 runs (54b) for the seventh wicket as India got out of a shaky 99 for five after electing to bat first.

And in yet another significant milestone, Smriti also crossed the 7000-run mark in international cricket during her innings.

Mandhana’s achievement placed her in elite company, making her the second Indian woman to surpass 7000 runs including all formats. She followed in the footsteps of former captain Mithali Raj, who amassed a remarkable 10,868 runs in her illustrious career.

Close on Mandhana’s heels is current captain Harmanpreet Kaur, who has accumulated 6,870 runs, underscoring the strength and depth of India’s batting lineup.

Mandhana played a knock of 117 runs off 127 balls including 12 fours and a six to post her first ODI hundred on home soil and second against South Africa. During her sixth ODI century, she also build crucial partnerships with Deepti Sharma and Pooja Vatrakar to take India over 200-run mark.

Meanwhile, Deepti also completed 2000 ODI runs during her 37-run knock in 200th international match.

Mandhana has a lot of flair in her batting but here she was forced to eschew that because of the team situation and the sluggish nature of the pitch at the Chinnaswamy to which India top-order batters like Shafali Verma (7), captain Harmanpreet Kaur (10) and Jemimah Rodrigues (17) failed to adapt, leading to their soft dismissals.

But today, the local crowd was well behind the Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain, till she was ousted by Klaas.

Earlier, Harmanpreet won the toss and opted to bat first in the opening match of the three-game ODI series.

Stay updated with the latest from T20 World Cup 2024. Explore T20 World Cup Match Today. Check Updated list of Highest-run getters and Highest Wicket-Takers In T20 World Cup 2024. Check T20 World Cup 2024 Points Table and players with the Most Sixes, Most Fours , Most Fifties And Most HundredsIn T20 World Cup 2024.