Smriti Mandhana smashes India Women to series win over New Zealand

Smriti Mandhana's dazzling century leads India to series win against New Zealand in thrilling ODI encounter.

When Smriti Mandhana finds her silken touch, she puts a smile on the cricket fan’s face. On Tuesday (October 29, 2024) night, she brought the smiles back to the Indian team, too.

The stylish left-hander, who gives much joy to connoisseurs of the art in cricket, hit a sparkling 100 (122b, 10x4) to help India to coast to a six-wicket win against New Zealand in the third ODI. Chasing 232, the Women in Blue got home with 5.4 overs to spare.

They thus won the series 2-1, some consolation after the disappointment in the recent T20 World Cup in the UAE. Beating the champion may have made it a bit sweeter.

It was two partnerships featuring Smriti that made the chase a stroll in the park for India. After the early dismissal of Shafali Verma, she put on 76 for the second wicket with wicketkeeper Yastika Bhatia (35, 49b, 4x4) and 117 for the third with skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (59 not out, 63b, 6x4).

This was Smriti’s eighth century in ODIs and now has overtaken Mithali Raj as the leading scorer of hundreds for India. She may have taken some time to find her rhythm, but once she did, those lofts, pulls and drives flew off her blade.

Earlier, Brooke Halliday’s career-best 86 (96b, 9x4, 3x6) helped the White Ferns recover from a batting collapse. Half the side was back in the pavilion before the half-way mark of the innings.

At 88 for five, the Indians may have hoped for a shorter target to chase, but Halliday stood firm. She battled hard against the spirited Indian attack and the oppressive heat, choosing only the right balls to go hard at.