Smriti Mandhana back on top of the ranking for ODI batters for the first time after 2019

‌Indian opener Smriti Mandhana returns to the top of the rankings for women ODI batters as per the latest list from the International Cricket Council. Her exceptional run of form in the 50-over format over the last two years has seen her return to number one for the first time since 2019.

Mandhana has been a regular face in the Indian women’s cricket team for some time now with a tally of 4473 runs from 102 ODIs at an impressive average of 46.59. The Indian vice-captain also has 11 centuries and 31 fifties to her name with six of those centuries and five fifties coming in the last two years.

Her run to the top of the tree has been aided by an exceptional show in India’s home series against South Africa, New Zealand, West Indies and Ireland in the last two seasons. She was the top run-getter against the Proteas with two centuries and a fifty in the three-match ODI series while she also had a century to her name in the subsequent NZ tour.

Her scoring spree continued with three fifties and a hundred in the next six ODIs against WI and Ireland with another hundred coming in Australia in between. She has amassed 1260 runs from 21 ODIs in the last two years at an average of 60.00 with her last ODI innings of 116 helping the side win the ODI tri-series final at Sri Lanka.

England skipper and all-rounder Nat Sciver-Brunt has gone a place up to be on second while South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt has dropped from the top of the rankings to be joint-second with Sciver-Brunt. Jemimah Rodrigues and captain Harmanpreet Kaur are the other Indians in the top 20 and are placed at 15th and 16th, respectively.