India’s Women’s cricket team has grown leaps and bounds over the last few years, with the likes of Shafali Varma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Radha Yadav and Taniya Bhatia all performing above par in the national team. With many young cricketers groomed from a very young age, it is not surprising that the team has many young stars raring to go.
On the second anniversary of T20 skipper Harmanpreet Kaur’s unbeaten 171 during the World Cup in 2017, we look at the top five scores by Indian cricketers in Women’s ODIs:
Mithali Raj | 125* vs Sri Lanka | Katunayake | September 2018
The Indian Women team’s ODI skipper Mithali Raj is fifth on this list after hitting an unbeaten 125 runs off 145 balls against Sri Lanka during the ICC Women's Championship in Sri Lanka in 2018. After a poor start, Raj set up an opening wicket partnership of 102 runs with Smriti Mandhana, hitting at a rate of 87.41 as the side managed to score 253 runs. However, a spirited fight by Chamari Atapattu ensured that her team managed to beat the Women in Blue by three wickets, with just one ball remaining.
Smriti Mandhana | 135 vs South Africa | Kimberley | February 2018
Smriti Mandhana single-handedly lifted her team to 302 runs during the second ODI of the ICC Women’s Championship in 2018. The opener scored 135 runs off 129 balls against the South Africans at a rate of 104.65. Her effort included 14 fours and a single six, but the real effort for the victory fell into the hands of the bowler, with Poonam Yadav picking up four wickets as the Proteas were bundled out for 124 runs. This match also saw Jhulan Goswami become the first bowler to reach 200 ODI wickets in women's cricket.
Jaya Sharma | 138* vs Pakistan | Karachi | December 2005
Jaya Sharma hit an unbeaten 138 runs off 150 balls against arch-rivals Pakistan during the Women’s Asia Cup back in 2005. Her innings was scored at a rate of 92, including 15 fours. She set up a strong 223-run partnership with Anjum Chopra, who scored 86 runs off 112 balls. The Indian bowlers were at their best as well, dismissing the Pakistan batswomen for a measly 96 runs, with Neetu David picking up three wickets.
Harmanpreet Kaur | 171* vs Australia | Derby | July 2017
During the 2017 ICC Women’s World Cup, Harmanpreet Kaur hit a brilliant unbeaten 171 runs off 115 balls at a strike-rate of 148.69. Her innings included 20 fours and 7 sixes as she brought the team up from 101-3 to 281-4. She set up a 137-run partnership with Deepti Sharma, with the latter scoring only 25 runs, and eased the Indians toward 281. In return, the Aussie women fought hard but eventually lost the match by 36 runs.
Deepti Sharma | 188 vs Ireland | Potchefstroom | May 2017
Deepti Sharma and Punam Raut set up a 320-run opening partnership -- the highest in Women’s ODIs -- with the former scoring 188 runs off 160 balls at the young age of 19. Playing against Ireland in the Women's Quadrangular Series, Deepti’s blistering innings was hit at a strike-rate of 117.50 and included 27 fours and two sixes, while it is also the third highest score by a woman in ODI cricket history. India managed to score 358 runs, while the bowlers dismissed the Irish women for 109 runs.
Feature image courtesy: AFP / Adrian Dennis
