New Delhi: Smriti Mandhana ended a long wait for the Numero Uno position in the Women’s ODI rankings after reclaiming the top spot for the first time since 2019. The India vice-captain returned to the top of the pile after six years, displacing South Africa skipper Laura Wolvaardt, who lost 19 rating points in the latest rankings.
With 727 rating points, the star Indian batter is back on top and is followed by England captain Natalie Sciver-Brunt at 719. Wolvaardt, after slipping two spots, is now third with 719 points.
Except for Mandhana, no other Indian batter is in the top 10, with Jemimah Rodrigues and skipper Harmanpreet Kaur finding themselves languishing at 14th and 15th, respectively.
Mandhana has a great chance to strengthen her position at the top later this month in the upcoming India vs England series, which comprises five T20Is and three ODIs.
Mandhana back on top! Can the Indian star consolidate her position?
While she has consistently featured in the top 10 in ODI batting rankings in recent times, Mandhana, despite earning the reputation of one of the best top-order batters in the world, hasn’t been able to take the top spot since the start of 2019. But a brilliant series with the bat in India’s recent tri-series against Sri Lanka and South Africa in Colombo, where she scored a century in the final, has helped her return to the summit.
Mandhana’s 11th ODI century contributed greatly to improving her rating past Wolvaardt, who had a dismal outing in South Africa’s recent ODI fixtures against the West Indies. The Proteas opener paid the price of two low scores of 27 and 28 against the Caribbean side.
Mandhana, who is ranked fourth in the T20I batting charts, will aim to continue her good run with the bat against a formidable English side. The series against four-time world champions will act as a tune-up for the World Cup in September, where India will open their campaign against Sri Lanka on September 30 at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
The 13th edition of the marquee event will be played under the hybrid model, with Pakistan playing all their matches at a neutral venue (Colombo). The blockbuster clash between India and Pakistan will be played on October 8 in Colombo.
The tournament will feature eight teams, who will play each other once in a round-robin format, with the top four sides after all the group matches reaching the semi-finals
Smriti Mandhana is back atop the ICC Women’s ODI rankings. The star India batter has returned to the top of the batting charts for the first time since 2019. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
