Indian cricket star Smriti Mandhana achieved a historic feat in the Women's One Day International (ODI) against South Africa on Wednesday, becoming the first Indian player to score back-to-back centuries in Women's ODIs. Mandhana's exceptional day took an even more magical turn when she dismissed Sune Luus to claim her maiden ODI wicket in her 83rd match.
The remarkable moment came in the 15th over when Mandhana was brought into the bowling attack by captain Harmanpreet Kaur, possibly testing her skills on a spin-friendly track. Displaying a Virat Kohli-like wrong-footed action, Mandhana bowled wide outside off, inducing Luus to go for the shot. The ball's extra bounce resulted in a thin top edge, easily caught by wicketkeeper Richa Ghosh, sparking a roar from the Chinnaswamy Stadium.
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The similarities between Mandhana and Kohli were accentuated by various factors, including their kit number 18, Bengaluru's affection for both players, and the shared experience of taking a wicket on a wide delivery at the same venue. Notably, Kohli had taken his last international wicket on a wide ball, albeit down the leg side, against the Netherlands' Scott Edwards during the 2023 World Cup.
In addition to her impressive bowling, Smriti Mandhana made headlines for her batting in the first innings. Despite a tough start where it took her 17 balls to score her first run due to challenges from South African pacers, Mandhana showed resilience and eventually smashed 136 runs off 120 balls. Her outstanding performance helped India reach a strong total of 325/3.
Mandhana's innings not only made her the first Indian woman to score consecutive centuries in WODIs, but also equalled Mithali Raj's record of seven WODI centuries for India. Moreover, this inning is Mandhana's highest score in ODI cricket, demonstrating her ability to adapt on different pitches and showcase her versatility.
Reflecting on her innings, Mandhana commented, "The wicket wasn't playing the way it was in the first match, so I had to change a few things. I am not used to being 0 (18), but we had to play according to the situation as the pitch had a bit of grass on it."
