Indian women's cricket team's star opener, Smriti Mandhana, delivered a sensational performance in the first T20 match against England, creating history. At Trent Bridge, Nottingham, Smriti won everyone's hearts by scoring a blistering century, smashing 112 runs off just 62 balls.
ICC Rankings: Indian women's cricket's star opener, Smriti Mandhana, once again proved why she is considered among the world's best batters. In the first T20 International played against England at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, Mandhana not only created history by scoring her first T20 century of her career, but also jumped dramatically in the latest ICC rankings, reaching the third position.
Smriti Mandhana played a stormy innings of 112 runs off 62 balls, in which she thrashed the English bowlers. On the strength of her explosive batting, India defeated England by a huge margin of 97 runs and took a 1-0 lead in the series.
12-Year Drought of T20I Centuries Ends
It is noteworthy that the wait for a T20 international century in Indian women's cricket had become 12 long years, which Smriti Mandhana ended with her excellent performance. Mandhana's century also forced the fans to cheer and a flood of praise poured in on social media. After her innings, the ICC released the new women's T20 batsmen's rankings, in which Smriti Mandhana secured a place in the third position with 771 rating points.
This is her best rating of her career so far. She is currently only 23 rating points behind Australia's Beth Mooney, meaning Mandhana will have a great chance to become number one in the upcoming matches.
Shafali Verma and Harleen Deol Also Benefit
Not only Smriti Mandhana, but also her opening partner Shafali Verma benefited in the rankings. Shafali, who scored 20 runs in the first T20 match against England, climbed one place to reach number 13. At the same time, Harleen Deol, who played an important innings of 43 runs and took the team to a b score, also rejoined the ICC rankings and jointly occupied the 86th position.
Lauren Bell's Dominance Among Bowlers
Talking about bowling, England's fast bowler Lauren Bell also performed brilliantly. In this match played against India in Nottingham, she took three important wickets, due to which she jumped two places up in the bowlers' rankings to fourth position. Apart from Lauren Bell, Pakistan's spinner Sadia Iqbal remains on top in the T20I bowlers' rankings.
The South African women's team recently played a series against the West Indies, in which many of their players performed well. They benefited from this in the latest rankings. However, the most discussion is about Smriti Mandhana's century, which has attracted the attention of the entire cricket world.
Mandhana Has a Chance to Become Number 1
Smriti Mandhana is currently at the peak of her career. Looking at the way she is playing with consistency, it can be said that in the upcoming matches she can surpass Beth Mooney, who is at number one in the ICC rankings. Two more matches of the series are left between India and England, and looking at Mandhana's form, it can be said that she can easily bridge this gap.
