Smriti Mandhana, India’s 29-year-old vice-captain and left-handed opener, etched her name deeper into cricketing history with a blistering 125 off just 63 balls in the series-deciding third ODI against Australia at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.
Her breathtaking innings featured 17 boundaries and 5 sixes, and included a century in just 50 balls, the fastest ever by an Indian in women’s ODIs and the second-fastest overall in the format, behind Meg Lanning’s 45-ball hundred in 2012. Despite Mandhana’s brilliance, India fell short in chasing Australia’s colossal 412, being bowled out for 369 in 47 overs, and conceded the series 2-1.
Alyssa Healy, winning the toss for Australia, elected to bat on a Delhi belter and her side made the most of the conditions. Beth Mooney’s rapid 138 (75 balls) stood out in what became a record-equaling total of 412, matching their all-time ODI best from the 1997 World Cup when Belinda Clark made her immortal 229* against Denmark in Mumbai. Bowled out with 13 balls left, Australia still piled on runs at a staggering pace, setting up the highest match aggregate in women’s List A cricket history.
The third ODI turned into a statistical marvel. A total of 781 runs were scored across both innings, the highest aggregate ever in women’s ODIs and indeed in the entire 53-year history of women’s List A cricket. The boundary count reached astonishing levels too, with 111 combined fours and sixes, comfortably eclipsing the previous record of 91 in the 2017 England-South Africa World Cup clash in Bristol. Even India’s 369 all out, while insufficient, became the highest score ever in a run chase in women’s ODIs, surpassing South Africa’s 321 for 6 against India in Bengaluru in 2024.
Smriti Mandhana’s knock was not only about numbers but also about sheer dominance and artistry. Her 50-ball hundred was her 13th in ODIs, drawing level with Suzie Bates and placing her joint-second on the all-time list behind Meg Lanning’s 15. Notably, her tally of 13 centuries is now the most by any opening batter in women’s ODIs, moving ahead of Bates and Tammy Beaumont (12 each). This was also her second consecutive ton in the series, following a series-defining hundred in India’s massive 102-run win in the second ODI, where Australia were consigned to their heaviest defeat ever in the format.
Across the three-match contest, Mandhana aggregated a stunning 300 runs at a strike rate of 138.24 and an average of exactly 100. Unsurprisingly, she was named the Player of the Series, highlighting her consistency and flair in one of the fiercest rivalries in world cricket. Despite Mandhana’s heroics, Australia’s grip over India in bilateral ODIs remains unbroken. This 2-1 win marked their 11th series triumph over India, with the Women in Yellow maintaining their spotless record in bilateral contests against them.
Alyssa Healy’s side has now won nine consecutive ODI series, their last defeat dating back to the 2023 Women’s Ashes against England. Stretching further, the last team outside England to beat Australia in a bilateral ODI series was New Zealand in 1999. Such dominance underlined why defending a total of 412, even against a Mandhana-inspired India, remained within their control.
Mandhana’s hundred, alongside Mooney’s, also pushed women’s ODI cricket into new statistical highs. Their blazing knocks meant that the tally of centuries in 2025 reached 30, a record for any calendar year, breaking the previous high of 29, last year in 2024, in 71 matches.
With the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup around the corner, the appetite for big scores and groundbreaking milestones is only growing. Notably, Mandhana herself has already notched up four ODI centuries this year, matching her 2024 tally and equaling South Africa’s Tazmin Brits, who also has four in 2025.
Since making her ODI debut in April 2013 against Bangladesh in Ahmedabad, Mandhana has grown into India’s premier batting powerhouse. Her career numbers now read 4,888 runs at an average of 47.92 and a strike rate of 89.83, including 32 fifties and 13 centuries across 108 matches. She has become the bedrock of India’s batting, and this latest innings reaffirms her standing as one of the modern greats in women’s cricket.
Across formats, she already has 9,499 runs in 268 international appearances for India so far. She is just 501 runs short of entering the 10,000 runs club at such a young age.
For India, the focus swiftly shifts to the 13th ICC Women’s ODI World Cup to be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka from 30 September to 2 November 2025. Harmanpreet Kaur’s side will start their campaign in the opener against Sri Lanka at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati on 30 September, from 3 PM IST.
With Mandhana in irrepressible form and India having pushed Australia to the brink in this high-scoring series, the stage looks set for an electrifying World Cup where records are bound to tumble further.
