India’s vice-captain and the left-handed opening batter, Smriti Mandhana, has celebrated the ICC Women’s ODI Cricketer of the year 2024, as she was a cut above in the 50-over format in the previous year, with the mountain of runs and collecting them in style. One of the incredible factors for her rise last year was how she managed to contribute against the high-caliber opposition, scoring big runs in the difficult series.
India’s opener set the standard high with successive centuries to inspire a 3-0 series clean sweep against South Africa at home in June. Her jaw-dropping century against New Zealand in the match-defining contribution during the series decider against the White Ferns in October strengthens the records.
Despite India losing the series under the leadership of Harmanpreet Kaur, Mandhana stood tall to showcase her fabulous ability in the dominating performance with a match-defining century at the WACA in Perth against Australia in December.
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The 28-year-old’s record in the 50-over format last year was superb. The southpaw set new career standards in the one-day internationals, as she smacked more runs than she ever had in the past in a calendar year, racking up 747 runs in 13 innings across 2024.
India’s southpaw Smriti Mandhana wins ICC Women’s ODI Cricketer Of The Year 2024
The opening batter of India has collected an overall 4209 runs in the women’s ODIs in 97 innings at an average of 46.25 and a strike rate of 87.63, shouldering on 10 centuries and 30 half-centuries at the best score of 136 runs. Her tally of 747 runs last year in 13 innings made her the classic left-hander among the leading run-scorers in WODIS, ahead of South Africa’s Laura Wolvaardt (697), England’s Tammy Beaumont (554) and West Indies’ Hayley Matthews (469).
The veteran’s runs came at an impressive average of around 58 as he scored at an impressive strike rate of nearly 95, helping set an attacking tone for India’s top order. The batter also celebrated four ODI centuries last year, which is a new record in the Women’s game.
Mandhana found the boundary more than a hundred times in the year, clubbing 95 fours and six over boundaries across 2024. Her first 50-over century at home came at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru when she cracked 117 runs in 127 deliveries, thanks to 12 boundaries and one six.
Without a surprise, her phenomenal year cemented her place at the top of India’s run-scorers in the chart of the ICC Women’s Championship, the ODI table that will cement the qualifiers for the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025.
Smriti is one of just five batters to have reached the four figures in the competition, accumulating an eye-catching 1358 runs in her 24 matches in the tournament, more than 100 runs clear to the next highest, the Protea opener Wolvaardt.
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The Mumbai-born put up her standout performance away from home in December against Australia, through a 105-run knock in Perth. Even though the blue brigade finished in the losing department, falling short of the target, it was Mandhana’s efforts that pushed them to the World Champions at the WACA in Perth.
It was a daunting bowling attack of the game, as the next-best score after Smriti for India in that fixture was just 39. He displayed her incredible quality, taking the attack at the home bowlers despite runs dried up and wickets tumbling at the other end. With 14 boundaries and one six, she drew the line, as the rest of the Indian side managed just seven boundaries among them.