Smriti Mandhana Equals Virat Kohli's Record

June 20, 2024

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Smriti Mandhana Equals Virat Kohli’s Record

Indian cricketer Smriti Mandhana has once again etched her name in the history of cricket. She has equalled Virat Kohli’s record and set plenty of new benchmarks during her scintillating performance against South Africa in the second ODI of the series.

Smriti Mandhana’s brilliant knock of 136 runs not only marked her second consecutive century in the series but also saw her become the first Indian woman to score two or more centuries against South Africa in a single series. This achievement puts her on par with the legendary Virat Kohli, who had previously held this record. Virat Kohli achieved this feat against Proteas in 2018, while Smriti Mandhana achieved this feat in 2024.

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Smriti Mandhana also added a unique feat under her name. In the women’s ODI, she became the only cricketer to hit two centuries at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. She smashed these hundreds in 1st and 2nd ODI against South Africa in 2024.

The left-handed batter’s stellar performance was complemented by an outstanding partnership with Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur. The duo stitched together a remarkable 171-run partnership for the third wicket, the fastest 150+ run partnership by an Indian pair in women’s ODI cricket. This partnership surpassed the previous record set by Poonam Raut and Deepti Sharma against Ireland in 2017.

With her 7th ODI century, Smriti Mandhana equalled the record held by former Indian captain Mithali Raj for the most centuries by an Indian woman batter. Other Indian women batsmen who have multiple centuries to their name are Harmanpreet Kaur (5), Poonam Raut (3), Jaya Sharma (2) and Thirush Kamini (2).

Smriti Mandhana also became the first Indian woman batter to score 3 centuries against South Africa in ODI cricket. She also holds the record for the highest individual score by an Indian woman batter on home soil, with her knock of 136 runs against South Africa in 2024.

Riding on the back of Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur’s exceptional batting performances, the Indian women’s team set a new record. For the first time Indian women’s cricket has scored 300+ score in ODI on the home soil.

Smriti Mandhana’s brilliant innings against the South Africa team establish her as an undeniably strong contender in the list of currently active cricketers. Accumulating runs at will and leveraging her talents to break records. As India moves further in the series, the role played by Smriti Mandhana will no doubt prove or mark the destiny in ODIs.