Indian batter Smriti Mandhana is closing in on reclaiming the top position in the ICC Women's ODI rankings for batters. She is currently placed second on the rankings, closely followed by Laura Wolvaardt, who is currently topping the rankings.
Mandhana is on 272 rating points, while Laura is on 738. Both played in the recently concluded Sri Lanka Tri-Series. The southpaw finished the ODI series as the second-highest run-getter with 268 runs in five matches at an average of 52.80, striking over 90.
Smriti Mandhana's 116 runs off 101 deliveries powered India to a massive score of 342 runs for seven wickets in their 50 overs. Sri Lanka, in response, were bowled out for just 245 runs as India won the match by a big margin of 97 runs. Mandhana was also named the Player of the Match, while Sneh Rana was named the Player of the Series. She finished the series with 15 wickets in just over 40 overs.
Also Read: Smriti Mandhana earns high praise from Mithali Raj after her blazing knock against DC in WPL
Brunt, Athapaththu Among Top 10 Batters
Newly appointed England women's skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt is third on the rankings, while Chamari Athapaththu is tenth on the list. India's Jemimah Rodrigues, who finished with 245 runs in the series, is 15th on the list.
Talking about bowlers, England's Sophie Ecclestone is topping the list with 770 points. Ash Gardner and Meghan Schutt are placed second and third, respectively. India's Deepti Sharma is the only bowler in the top 10 rankings.
Smriti Mandhana Lauds Bowlers After Tri-Series Win
Meanwhile, Smriti Mandhana spoke after India's tri-series win in Colombo. She spoke about how the team adapted to the conditions.
"That's how we plan in ODIs, if you're batting first, you need to assess the conditions. They were very disciplined early on, we found a way later on to score runs. All the wickets were good batting wickets, high scoring games, not great to bowl, but I think our bowlers did a brilliant job" Mandhana said.
The knock of 116 was her 11th ODI century in 104 matches for India.
