Smriti Mandhana slams her 11th 50-plus score vs Australia (WODIs)
What's the story
Indian opener Smriti Mandhana made her bat talk in the first Women's ODI against Australia at Brisbane's Allan Border Field. After winning the toss and opting to bat first, India was rocked by Australia's new-ball attack. However, Mandhana's resilience has helped India recover from a shaky start. The southpaw went on to score 58 runs - her 11th 50-plus score against the Aussies in the 50-over format. Here are her stats.
Match dynamics
Mandhana rescues India after early blows
Australia's bowlers, led by Megan Schutt, Darcie Brown, and Ashleigh Gardner, wreaked havoc on India's batting order, leaving the visitors reeling at 52/3. Mandhana, however, kept going at one end. She added 48 runs with skipper Harmanpreet Kaur for the fourth wicket, taking her team past 100. Despite the early setbacks, Mandhana stood her ground. She survived a few close calls but soon found her rhythm with some aggressive strokes. Tahlia McGrath eventually dismissed her in the 24th over.
Feat
Second-best average vs Australia
Playing her 22nd WODI against the Aussies, Mandhana raced to 1,078 runs at an average of 49, as per ESPNcricinfo. The legendary Mithali Raj (1,123) is the only other Indian with 1,000-plus runs against the Aussies. Among batters with at least 200 WODIs runs against Australia, only England's Natalie Sciver-Brunt (56) boasts a better average than Mandhana.
DYK
Mandhana only behind Dockley
Mandhana now has 11 WODI scores of 50 or more versus Australia. Only Debbie Hockley of NZ has more such scores in this regard (14). Sciver-Brunt and Mandhana share the record for the most WODI tons versus the Women in Yellow (4 each). The latter's 50-ball century versus Australia in Delhi last year was the second-fastest in WODI history. On Australian soil, Mandhana has completed 461 runs from nine WODIs at 51.22 (100s: 2, 50s: 3).
Career
Here are her WODI numbers
Mandhana has been one of the most prolific run-scorers in WODIs. Since making her WODI debut in 2013, she has slammed 5,380 runs across 118 matches at an average of 48.46. She currently has the second-most centuries in WODIs (14). Only Australia's Meg Lanning (15) has hit more. Mandhana has also hit 35 half-centuries in the format.