The Indian women's cricket team created history in the second ODI played in Mullanpur. Thanks to Smriti Mandhana's explosive century and the bowlers' excellent performance, India defeated the Australian women's team by 102 runs.
Sports News: Thanks to Smriti Mandhana's brilliant century and the bowlers' excellent performance, the Indian women's team created history by defeating Australia by 102 runs in the second ODI. This is the Australian women's team's biggest defeat in ODI cricket in terms of runs, and for the first time, they have suffered a defeat by a margin of over 100 runs. With this victory, the Indian team, led by Harmanpreet Kaur, has leveled the series at 1-1.
Batting first after losing the toss, India was all out for 292 runs in 49.5 overs, in response to which the entire Australian team was bowled out for 190 runs in 40.5 overs. Now the decisive third and final ODI will be played on September 20.
Mandhana's innings provided a b start
The Indian team, which came out to bat first after losing the toss, got a powerful start from Smriti Mandhana and young opener Pratika Rawal. Together, they built a 70-run partnership for the first wicket. Rawal got out in the 12th over, but Mandhana held her ground at the other end. Mandhana batted aggressively, completing her century in just 77 balls. This was her 12th ODI century of her career. The special thing is that this was also the second fastest century in the history of Indian women's cricket.
She scored a total of 117 runs off 91 balls, including 14 fours and 4 sixes. Her innings provided a solid foundation for the Indian innings. However, after her dismissal, the middle order faltered a bit.
After Mandhana, only Deepti Sharma (40 runs) was able to bat with stability. Richa Ghosh scored 29 runs. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur could only add 17 runs. In the end, Sneh Rana played a quickfire innings of 24 runs off 18 balls. India's innings folded at 292 runs in 49.5 overs. Darcie Brown was the most successful bowler for Australia, taking 3 wickets.
Australia's Innings
Australia's start was very poor as they chased a target of 293 runs. Indian bowlers bowled tightly from the beginning and took wickets at regular intervals. In Australia's innings, Ellyse Perry (44 runs) and Annabel Sutherland (45 runs) did put up a fight, but neither could convert their innings into a big one. As a result, the entire team was bundled out for 190 runs in 40.5 overs.
Kranti Gaud took the most wickets with 3. Deepti Sharma took 2 wickets. Renuka Thakur, Sneh Rana, Arundhati Reddy, and Radha Yadav each took 1 wicket. Thus, the Indian bowlers did not give the opposition batters any chance to play freely.
Australia's Biggest Defeat (ODI)
This match set a new record for the Australian women's team. This was their biggest defeat (102 runs) in ODI cricket history. Their previous worst performances were as follows:
- 92 runs vs England, Edgbaston (1973)
- 88 runs vs India, Chennai (2004)
- 84 runs vs South Africa, North Sydney (2024)
- 82 runs vs New Zealand, Lincoln (2008)
Smriti Mandhana's performance in this match proved decisive. Her century became the backbone of the Indian innings and took the team to a b score. Mandhana had previously laid the foundation for India's victory on many occasions, but this innings was special because with its help, India defeated the most powerful team in women's cricket history by a huge margin.
