Smriti’s record ton in vain as Oz win series

Far too often, one reaches a familiar conclusion when Smriti Mandhana comes out to bat: that she is a special player.

- Samreen Razzaq

On the night of the third One-Day International (ODI) against Australia at the Arun Jaitley Stadium here, the feeling was similar as the left-handed opener scored the fastest century by an Indian.

But as much as India can boast of possessing a rare talent in Mandhana, the match ‘was also a grim reminder of the need for support as they lost by 43 runs and lost the series 2-1.

A stunning 125 off 63 balls, Mandhana breached the century milestone in just 50 balls. Australia were expected to be on their toes, having already been stunned by her century in the second ODI but their plans did not work against her yet again.

The most reliable Indian batters — Mandhana and skipper Harmanpreet Kaur — looked on course to leading India across the line in a must-win, record-making match as they stitched a 121-run partnership off 69 balls.