Visakhapatnam
India’s star batter Smriti Mandhana added another milestone to her illustrious career during Sunday’s ICC Women’s World Cup clash against Australia, becoming the fifth woman cricketer and quickest ever to score 5000 runs in One-Day Internationals (ODIs).
Mandhana reached the landmark when she crossed 58 runs in the match, achieving the feat in just 112 innings, the fewest by any women’s player. Earlier in the same game, the 29-year-old became the first woman in cricket history to complete 1000 ODI runs in a single calendar year, smashing a towering six off Australian spinner Sophie Molineux to reach the mark.
Just days earlier, in the match against South Africa, Mandhana broke Belinda Clark’s 1997 record for the most runs in a calendar year by a woman batter. She surpassed Clark’s tally of 970 runs with a six off Ayabonga Khaka.
Currently playing her third ODI World Cup, Mandhana was also part of the Indian team that reached the final in 2017. Despite her record-breaking form, Mandhana has had a mixed tournament so far, managing 8, 23, and 23 in her previous three games.
India, led by Harmanpreet Kaur, retained the same XI from their loss to South Africa, while Australia brought in Sophie Molineux for Georgia Wareham. After winning the toss, Australia captain Alyssa Healy opted to bowl first, setting the stage for a high-stakes contest in Visakhapatnam.