Revisiting Smriti Mandhana's best ODI knock against England
England have often been a tough place to tour for the Indian women's team, with the likes of Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur struggling in the ongoing ODI series against the hosts. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 situation, Mithali Raj's side haven't been able to play much cricket over the past year and it is affecting India's performances on the current tour of England.
The Indian middle order batters have struggled to play against the constantly swinging ball and have been often dismissed via catches off the leading edges while trying to play on the leg side.
India, who courageously drew the one-off Test against England, have struggled in the ODI series. The visitors have already conceded the three-match series, having lost the first two games. India will hope to avoid a series whitewash when they take on England in the third ODI on Saturday.
India skipper Mithali Raj has been the best batter across both teams in the ODI series so far. The lack of support from other Indian batters has led to the team's downfall in the first two games. The likes of Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur need to step up and provide some support to Mithali in the batting department.
Stylish left-handed opener Smriti Mandhana has a good record while playing against England. She has scored 562 runs in 12 matches at an average of 51.09, including six half-centuries against the Englishwomen. Mandhana will look to play a match-defining knock in the third ODI to save India from the humiliation of a clean sweep.
On that note, let's revisit the past and reminisce about Smriti Mandhana's best ODI knock against England.
Smriti Mandhana's 90 off 72 balls helped India beat England at the 2017 Women's World Cup
The County Ground in Derby was the venue for the fixture. It was the second league game of the ICC Women's ODI World Cup in 2017, with Mithali Raj's Indian side squaring off against hosts England. English skipper Heather Knight won the toss and decided to field first.
Openers Smriti Mandhana (90 off 72 balls) and Punam Raut (86 off 134 balls) put in a batting master class and stitched together a 144-run partnership. While Punam held one end by playing the anchor role to perfection, Mandhana bludgeoned her way to a quickfire 90 to give India a solid start.
It was a special knock for Mandhana as she was making her comeback after missing five months of action due to a serious knee injury. Her finesse and decisive stroke-play rendered the English bowlers helpless until the 26th over.
Mithali Raj (71 off 73 balls) and Harmanpreet Kaur (24* off 22 balls) also joined the party to help India post 281/3 at the end of 50 overs. Heather Knight (2/41) was the best bowler of the day for England.
A collective bowling effort from the Indians helped them defend the score comfortably. Shikha Pandey (2/35), Deepti Sharma (3/47), and Poonam Yadav (1/51) bundled out England for 246 in 47.3 overs. Four English players were run out during the chase, with Fran Wilson (81 off 75 balls) waging a lone battle.
Smriti Mandhana, who was deservedly awarded the Player of the Match for her blazing knock, will look to play a similar innings on Saturday.