Smriti Mandhana becomes No.1 batter ahead of World Cup 2025
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Indian batter Smriti Mandhana has reclaimed her top spot in the ICC Women's rankings ahead of the ICC Women's World Cup, while several others have also seen widespread changes for many other players.
Just like the Men cricketers, the Women cricketers too have often been ranked by the ICC, since the international fixtures witness a classic contest. The Indian team, alongside Sri Lanka, will be hosting the ICC Women's World Cup, and the latest changes in the ICC rankings are marked ahead of the competition.
Smriti Mandhana reclaims No. 1 spot in ODI rankings
Indian batter Smriti Mandhana reclaimed her top spot in the ICC ODI rankings, as she moved back to the top spot, surpassing the England skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt. She claimed her spot following the half-century against Australia in the opening match at Mullanpur.
Smriti Mandhana contributed 58 runs at the top of the Indian batting order, which helped her gain 7 rating points to take a 4-point lead over the English middle-order batter.
Previously, in 2019, Smriti Mandhana held the top spot in the ICC Women's ODI batting rankings for the first time. While she has held the spot several times in the premier position.
Other Players with Rankings swapped after the India vs Australia match
Smriti Mandhana's Indian teammates, Pratika Rawal and Harleen Deol, who also scored respective fifties, went up four spots to the 42nd and 43rd positions. All three Indian cricketers who were part of the Indian top order went on to score half-centuries in the series opener at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium.
From the Australian side, experienced left-handed batter Beth Mooney rose three spots to the fifth position in the overall rankings for her unbeaten 77, while all-rounder Annabel Sutherland, who also scored a hundred, went up four places to 25th place alongside teammate Phoebe Litchfield, who sprang 13 places to the same position in the ICC rankings.
On the other hand, Kim Garth is now fourth, and Alana King is fifth on the ICC Rankings, as they reached a new career-high ranking. Sneh Rana also attained the 13th overall spot. Ash Gardner retains her spot as the no. 1 ICC-ranked all-rounder.
Australia started the series with a commanding win
The Australian women are on their tour to India to feature in a three-match ODI series against the Indian Women before the ICC Women's World Cup, which will be hosted in India and Sri Lanka later this year.
Australia marks the return of their skipper, Alyssa Healy, and has started the series in a commanding fashion. Healy will be looking to lead Australia to defend their title after they won it last time.
Bowling first, the Australians restricted the Indians to a score of 281/7, as the likes of Smriti Mandhana, Pratika Rawal, and Harleen Deol all scored crucial half-centuries. Australian batters Phoebe Litchfield, Beth Mooney and Annabel Sutherland all scored stunning fifties to lead the Aussie women towards a comfortable victory.
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Tagged:
India Women National Cricket Team Smriti Mandhana Harleen Deol Pratika Rawal Sneh Rana Australia Women National Cricket Team Beth Mooney Annabel Sutherland
