New Delhi: It was a rare sight for the fans of the Indian women’s cricket team as Smriti Mandhana came on to bowl in the 2nd ODI against South Africa on Wednesday. Mandhana rolled her arms over for the first time in international cricket and managed to bag her maiden wicket for India in ODIs. She dismissed South Africa’s Sune Luus in the 15th over to open her account with the ball for India.
The star batter was handed over the ball by skipper Harmanpreet Kaur in the 15th over and she didn’t take long to strike. She got rid of Luus on 12 off 13 balls on the second delivery of her first over in international cricket. Mandhana, who earlier scored a magnificent century in the game, bowled two overs in the game and finished with figures of 1/13.
Fans couldn’t help but compare her to Indian men’s team star Virat Kohli thanks to her bowling action. Mandhana’s Kohliesque bowling action caught the eye of many as fans drew similarities between the two. Kohli, who rarely bowls in international cricket these days, is also a medium pacer with an unorthodox action like Mandhana.
Watch Smriti Mandhana’s 1st wicket for India:
SMRITI MANDHANA HAS TAKEN A WICKET IN INTERNATIONAL CRICKET…!!!! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/AhHgdteVjJ
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) June 19, 2024
Virat Kohli 🤝 Smriti Mandhana.
– The No.18 connection! 😄❤️ pic.twitter.com/SNqw6lgnyC
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) June 19, 2024
Mandhana shone with both bat and the ball as India managed to beat South Africa by 4 runs in a nail-biting thriller to bag their second consecutive win. India rode on Mandhana’s brilliant knock of 136 runs off 120 balls and skipper Harmanpreet Kaur’s unbeaten 103 to post a huge total of 325/3 on the board in 50 overs.
In reply, South Africa nearly pulled off a miraculous win with the help of centuries from opener Laura Wolvaardt and all-rounder Marizanne Kapp. However, they fell short by 4 runs in the end as Pooja Vastrakar picked up two wickets in the final over to successfully defend 11 runs off it for India.
Smriti Mandhana bowled for the first time for India in ODIs and bagged her first wicket in international cricket during the 2nd ODI against South Africa in Bengaluru on Wednesday. Mandhana’s Virat Kohliesque action caught the attention of the fans. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
