India captain Harmanpreet Kaur and vice-captain Smriti Mandhana made merry in Bengaluru, hitting a hundred each in the second ODI of a 3-match series against South Africa on Wednesday, June 19. Smriti top-scored with 136 while Harmanpreet an 88-ball 103 as India posted 325 for 3 in their quota of 50 overs at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
India set a few new records and their two star players achieved personal milestones on a rewarding day for the batters against the South African side. It was a batting show of the highest order as the Women in Blue overcame a slow start on a not-so-easy pitch for the batters to post a mammoth total on the board.
Smriti Mandhana notched up her second successive hundred while Harmanpreet Kaur ended a nearly two-year wait for an ODI hundred for India. The two batters added 171 runs for the third wicket as they made batting look easy in Bengaluru.
After South Africa won the toss and opted to bowl, India managed to score at less than 4 runs per over in the first 10 overs. In fact, Smriti was batting on 19 off 40 at point in the innings. However, after losing Shafali Verma in the 12th over for 20 (38 balls), India found the free-flowing Smriti Mandhaha back.
With support from Dayalan Hemalatha, India reached 100 in the 23rd over before they lost Hemalatha for 24 off 41.
Smriti and Harmanpreet then joined hands and entertained the healthy crowd on Wednesday as they tore into the South African bowling attack. Smriti hit 18 boundaries and 2 sixes for her 120-ball 136 while Harmanpreet was crucial to India's late push as she hit 103 from just 88 balls. The India captain hit 3 sie and 9 boundaries in a whirlwind knock as the team scored 118 runs in the last 10 overs.
India headed into the second game after having won the series opener on Sunday by 143 runs. Smriti Mandhana had won the Player of the Match award in that game with a match-winning 117.
7: Smriti Mandhana equalled Mithali Raj's tally for most hundreds by an India batter in women's ODI.
2: Smriti Mandhana became the first Indian batter to hit back-to-back hundreds in women's ODIs.
6: Harmanpreet Kaur brought up her sixth ODI hundred. She is just one behind leaders Smriti and Mithali in the all-time Indian list.
8: India hit eight sixes in Bengaluru on Wednesday, the most they have hit in an ODI innings.
20: Harmanpreet Kaur ended a 20-month wait for an ODI hundreds. She last hit a hundred against England in Cantebury in September 2022.
136: Smriti Mandhana posted her highest individual score in ODI cricket on Wednesday.
325: India posted their third-highest total in ODI cricket on Wednesday. India scored 358 against Ireland in 2017 and 333 against England in 2022.
India headed into the second game after having won the series opener on Sunday by 143 runs. Smriti Mandhana had won the Player of the Match award in that game with a match-winning 117.
