Smriti Mandhana's recent ascent in the ICC ODI rankings for women has captured significant attention as she climbed one spot to claim the third position. This latest ranking update, released on August 20, highlights Mandhana’s consistent excellence and places her as the top-ranked Indian batter in the 50-over format. With 738 rating points, she has solidified her standing among the world’s elite cricketers, showcasing her prowess and reliability as a top-order batter.
Harmanpreet Kaur, the captain of the Indian women’s team, maintains her position at ninth in the ODI rankings, demonstrating her continued influence and performance in the format. Despite not moving up in the rankings, Kaur’s role as a leader and her contributions to the team remain pivotal.
In a broader context, the rankings reflect shifting dynamics among international players. Sri Lanka's Chamari Athapaththu, who has been a formidable presence in the rankings, has seen a decline, slipping to fourth place. In contrast, her teammates have shown significant improvement. Nilakshika de Silva advanced three spots to 32nd, Harshitha Samarawickrama climbed eight places to 44th, and Kavisha Dilhari moved up four positions to 50th in the ODI batting rankings. Samarawickrama’s rise in the T20I rankings, reaching 13th place, underscores her growing impact in the shorter format as well.
Ireland’s Gaby Lewis also achieved a noteworthy milestone by equaling her career-best position of 21st in the ODI rankings. Her outstanding innings of 119 runs off 75 balls in a recent match played a crucial role in this achievement, highlighting her burgeoning reputation on the international stage.
Mandhana’s recent performances have been nothing short of spectacular. During India’s ODI series against Sri Lanka in June, she demonstrated exceptional form by scoring consecutive centuries in the first two matches, with impressive scores of 117 and 136. Her near-century performance of 90 runs off 83 balls in the final ODI further attests to her consistent high-level play. These innings were instrumental in India’s success in the series and underscored Mandhana’s key role in the team’s batting lineup.
Moreover, Mandhana reached a significant career milestone during the first ODI against South Africa at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, surpassing 7,000 international runs across all formats. This achievement places her among the elite group of Indian women cricketers, making her the second-highest run-scorer for India in international cricket, following only Mithali Raj, who holds a remarkable 10,868 runs.
Following the series against South Africa, the focus shifted to the Asia Cup 2024, played in the T20 format. Mandhana’s contributions were critical as India advanced to the finals, although they finished as runners-up to hosts Sri Lanka. Despite the final result, Mandhana’s performances throughout the tournament continued to highlight her as one of the most dependable and talented players in women’s cricket.
Mandhana's rise in the rankings and her recent performances reflect not only her individual brilliance but also the growing strength of the Indian women's cricket team on the global stage. Her achievements are a testament to her hard work and dedication, and they underscore the significant impact she has on the sport.
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