2nd WODI: Historic! Smriti Mandhana’s ton helps India hand Australia their biggest-ever defeat | Cricket News

NEW CHANDIGARH: Inspired by peerless Smriti Mandhana’s scintillating 77-ball century – the fastest-ever towards Australia in WODIs – India lastly slayed their Aussie demons, ending their eight-match shedding streak towards the seven-time world champions in grand type with a thumping 102-run victory within the second WODI on the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur on Wednesday night time. It is the heaviest defeat margin Australia have ever suffered in a WODI, and it ended their 13-match win streak on this format. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!It was India’s first victory over Australia in a WODI at dwelling in 18 years, with the final one coming approach again in 2007. India’s final win over the Aussies in WODIs got here 4 years in the past – on Sept 26, 2021 at Mackay. The magical comeback win additionally ensured that India equalised the sequence 1-1, with the third and closing ODI in Delhi on Sept 20 now a blockbuster decider. The resounding win towards Australia, approaching the again of a profitable tour of England, will even increase India’s morale forward of the 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup, which kicks off on Sept 30 in Guwahati. Fired by Mandhana’s superb 91-ball 117, which included 14 sweetly-timed fours and 4 enormous sixes and lit up the stadium, India posted a difficult complete of 292 in 49.5 overs. Putting in a vastly improved show within the area, although they once more dropped just a few catches, India then bowled out Australia for 190 in merely 40.4 overs.

Bouncing again from a poor present on Sunday night time when India misplaced by eight wickets within the first WODI, spectacular younger seamer Kranti Goud took three for 29, together with the ultimate wicket, in 9.5 overs of incisive bowling, whereas off-s[pinner Deepti Sharma, who had earlier contributed a vital 40 (53b, 2×4), took two for 24 in six overs. The icing on the cake was pacer Arundhati Reddy’s three superb catches in the deep, a fine catch by skipper Harmanpreet Kaur at additional cowl to ship again Annabel Sutherland (45, 42b, 4×4) and the sensible caught and bowled seize by Radha Yadav to ship again Alysse Perry for 44 (61b, 5×4). Choosing to dump their technique of taking part in 4 spinners, India determined to play three seamers as an alternative, bringing in an additional bowler in Reddy, whereas dropping left-arm spinner Shree Charani, within the combine. It helped India that the guests rested explosive opener Phoebe Litchfield, who cracked 88 off 80 balls within the first WODI, selecting to offer recreation time to Georgia Voll.Clearly, Madhana, who’s presently in blazing type, is about to be the largest key for India within the 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup, which kicks off on Sept 30 in Guwahati. However, there are just a few considerations for India going into the mega match too. In the morning, it emerged that middle-order batter Jemimah Rodrigues had been dominated out of the remaining two matches of the sequence as a result of viral fever, whilst Mandhana’s scorching present with the bat helped the group overcome that setback. Seasoned pacer Renuka Singh Thakur lastly returned from her lengthy harm lay-off to play her first WODI in virtually 9 months, however, troubled by cramps/hamstring, couldn’t bowl additional after taking one for 28 in 6.3 overs. Another slight fear for India is the type of captain Harmanpreet Kaur, who sliced Australian off-spinner Ashleigh Gardner to backward level after making 17 off 26 balls. The 36-year-old has scored 28 runs in two matches on this sequence. Earlier, dominating the Aussie assault, Mandhana broke a number of information en path to her twelfth WODI hundred, reaching the landmark with a lofted six over mid-off off Tahlia McGrath within the twenty ninth over. The previous-fastest century towards Australia in WODIs was hit by England’s Nat Sciver (off 79 balls within the 2022 World Cup match at Hamilton). The 29-year-old additionally thrashed the second-fastest century by an Indian lady in ODIs, curiously solely behind her personal 70-ball hundred towards Ireland in Rajkot earlier this 12 months in January. This was Mandhana’s third WODI hundred this year-she had stroked 4 centuries final 12 months. Mandhana, who reclaimed the No 1 rating in WODIs when she stroked 58 off 63 balls within the first match of the sequence, thus equaled the report for most ladies’s ODI centuries by an opener. The elegant southpaw equalled New Zealand’s Suzie Bates and England’s Tammy Beaumont together with her twelfth century in 106 innings as an opener for India since her debut in 2013. Overall, Mandhana stands joint-third on the WODI century-makers’ record, with solely Meg Lanning (15) and Bates (13) forward of her. This was Mandhana’s third WODI hundred towards Australia, probably the most by any Asian batter in WODIs towards them. She has now scored 15 worldwide a whole lot, once more probably the most by an Asian batter in worldwide girls’s cricket.