Opening batter Smriti Mandhana continued her amazing run in white-ball cricket to deck up her 12th century in 50-over internationals, as India Women won
by a mammoth 102-run margin over Australia Women at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, New Chandigarh on Wednesday, September 17. Mandhana was the brighest star in the hosts' win, smashing 117 off just 91 balls, batting with energy from the very beginning as India batted first.
Opening alongside Pratika Rawal, Mandhana played the role of an aggressor. However, the Mumbai-born was aware of her previous two hundreds coming against the Aussies in a losing cause, and she was happy to have helped in the team's win in the second of the three-match series. She further expressed that she will continue carrying a similar approach with the bat in the upcoming Women's ODI World Cup as well, of course while keeping the conditions of the surface in mind.
The last two hundreds which I got against Australia were in a losing cause, so happy we won the match today. Game plan was simple — o make use of the powerplay and then try and build and innings, and if it was in my slot, to go after it. Getting to an above-par depends on the conditions and who we play. You know the Australian team and you need to get 280-290, so our bowlers get that extra cushion. The wicket is really flat, so had to be aggressive. Throughout the World Cup as well, there wouldn't be one game where I won't be aggressive, but it will depend on the conditions.
Rawal and I complement each other well: Smriti
The Maharashtra batter was also confident in her partnership with fellow opener Pratika Rawal. For the unversed, the duo averages the highest among all the openers in Women's ODI for the first-wicket partnership for pairs with a minimum of 1000 runs together. Mandhana feels that her duo with the Delhi batter likes to keep things uncomplicated, which has been working well for them.
We (herself and Pratika Rawal) complement each other well. She is calm and composed. I am also that way. We do not complicate stuff. It is going well, and hopefully it keeps going well.
Speaking of the third and final ODI of the series, the game will now be played at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi on Saturday, September 20. This will be the last 50-over match for both the sides ahead of the upcoming World Cup. The game will also be a series decider, as it is tied at 1-1 currently.
