Graceful opener Smriti Mandhana made headlines in the third women’s ODI against Australia on Saturday by scoring the second-fastest century in women’s ODI history, reaching the milestone in just 50 balls. In doing so, she surpassed former Australian batter Karen Rolton’s record of a 57-ball century set against South Africa in the 2000-01 season.
Mandhana etched her name in the record books by surpassing Virat Kohli’s long-standing mark to become the fastest Indian to score an ODI century. While Kohli had taken 52 balls to reach his hundred, hitting seven sixes and eight fours, Mandhana went two deliveries quicker, bringing up her century in just 50 balls.
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The record for the fastest century is still held by former Australian captain Meg Lanning, who reached 100 runs in 45 balls against New Zealand during the 2012-13 season.
Mandhana, 29, hit 14 boundaries and four sixes during her 50-ball effort, setting a new benchmark for Indian women cricketers by breaking her previous fastest hundred record of 70 balls.
The left-hander also became the first woman to score four ODI centuries in a single calendar year, achieving this milestone in 2024, joining South Africa’s Tazmin Brits in this rare feat.
In addition, Mandhana has become only the second woman to score back-to-back hundreds twice in ODIs, following Australia’s Tammy Beaumont. Meanwhile, New Zealand’s Amy Satterthwaite still holds the record for the most consecutive ODI centuries in women’s cricket, having scored four in a row between 2016 and 2017.
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