World Cup: Smriti Mandhana refuses to let trolls take toll on her form

It remains to be seen if the Women in Blue can bounce back from their so-near-yet-so-far syndrome in the ongoing ICC Women’s World Cup, but vice-captain Smriti Mandhana has already done enough to make it her most memorable one yet. In the make-or-break league game against New Zealand on Thursday, Smriti equalled South African Tazmin Brits’ record of five ODI centuries in a calendar year when it mattered the most.

The job is, however, half done but the prolific Indian batter showed why the team relies so heavily on her as she blasted a century off just 88 balls and together with opening partner and centurion Pratika Rawal (122), crafted a 212-run partnership to try and bat the White Ferns out of the contest. Smriti, who eventually fell for 109, crawled past Suzie Bates’s feat with 14 centuries, and is now second on the list of top ODI centurions with only the legendary Meg Lanning ahead of her with 15.

Barely four days earlier, a devastated Smriti was on the verge of tears as she failed to get India over the line despite belting 88 against England in a crucial game in Indore and the hosts choked horribly to lose the match by four runs. ‘’It (the collapse) started with me, so I will take it on me that the shot selection should have been better,’’ she owned up at the post-match presser as misogynistic trolls took over the social media landscape.  

The 29-year-old, who had her impending wedding with composer Palash Mucchal announced right in the middle of the World Cup, has been riding a wave of good form in 2025. The two-time ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year became the fastest to reach 5,000 ODI runs a few days back, while the three-figure knock in Navi Mumbai was her third World Cup century, the most by an Indian along with skipper Harmanpreet Kaur.  

She already created the record for scoring the most ODI runs in a single calendar year when she scored 982 runs in 17 innings earlier this month, breaking the 28-year-old record of Australia’s Belinda Clark (970). After a rather slow start to this World Cup against Pakistan and South Africa, Mandhana came into her own against three quality rivals — champions Australia, England and now New Zealand with scores of 80, 88 and 109.

After being asked to bat first, Mandhana and Rawal saw out the probing first 10 overs before opening up. This was their fourth stand of 150 or more and also the second partnership of 200-plus runs, which makes them only the fourth pair in women’s cricket to have two partnerships of more than 200 in ODIs.

Most hundreds in a calendar year

5 - Tazmin Brits in 2025
5 - Smriti Mandhana in 2025
4 - Smriti Mandhana in 2024

Most hundreds in Women’s ODIs

15 - Meg Lanning
14 - Smriti Mandhana
13 - Suzie Bates
12 - Tammy Beaumont
10 - Nat Sciver-Brunt