By Trisha Ghosal in Mullanpur
Smriti Mandhana batted as if she had carried her rhythm straight from the first ODI. Sublime in touch, decisive with her footwork, and precise in her shot selection, she seemed to know exactly which bowler to take on and which gap to exploit. Watching her was like watching someone thread a needle with elegance. She reached her 12th century with ease, making 117 off 91 balls with 14 fours and 4 sixes at a strike rate of 128.57.
Earlier, Australia captain Alyssa Healy won the toss and opted to field. Both teams made changes. Australia, rotating their squad, brought in Georgia Voll for Phoebe Litchfield and Darcie Brown for Kim Garth. India, meanwhile, bolstered their pace attack with Renuka Singh Thakur and Arundhati Reddy replacing Jemimah Rodrigues and N Sree Charani. Rodrigues has been ruled out of the series with viral fever.
India’s openers began positively on a flat deck. Australia unveiled a new plan, handing Ashleigh Gardner the new ball alongside Megan Schutt. In just the second over, Mandhana lofted a stunning six, signalling her intent to put on a show for the Mullanpur crowd. Patiently waiting for the ball to come onto the bat, she pierced gaps of barely 10–15 metres with surgical precision to keep the scoreboard ticking. Gardner, though, kept a lid on things and eventually broke the opening stand by removing Pratika Rawal for 25.
But the rest of the Indian line-up failed to offer real support. No other batter crossed 40. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur once again got a start but threw it away, while Sneh Rana’s lively 24 at the back end gave the innings late impetus. India closed on 292. Darcie Brown was the pick of the bowlers, claiming three wickets. With six bowling options available, the question remains: can India rein in Australia?
Follow Revsportz for latest sports news