India had previously won the opener by 143 runs at the same venue on Sunday.
On Wednesday, Smriti Mandhana of the Indian women's cricket team achieved not one, but two remarkable records during the second ODI match against South Africa at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. Mandhana displayed exceptional skill by scoring 136 runs in 120 balls, aiming to secure the series victory against the Laura Wolvaardt-led South African team. India had previously won the opener by 143 runs at the same venue on Sunday.
In the first game of the series, Mandhana had scored 117 runs off 127 balls, including 12 boundaries and a six, leading India to a winning total of 265 for eight. Her outstanding performance continued in the second match as she scored another century, reaching 136 runs and helping India recover from a challenging position of 100 for two in 23 overs.
With this achievement, Mandhana became the first Indian woman cricketer to score consecutive centuries in ODIs, following Sandhya Agarwal in 1986 during a Test series against England. She also equaled former India captain Mithali Raj's record for the most centuries in the 50-over format, both standing at seventh place on the all-time list with seven centuries. The record for the most centuries in women's ODIs is held by former Australia captain Meg Lanning with 15 tons. Mandhana now ranks joint third among openers, behind New Zealand's Suzie Bates (12) and England's Tammy Beaumont and Charlotte Edwards (9).
This remarkable innings by Mandhana also marked her highest-ever score in ODI cricket, surpassing her previous best of 135 against South Africa in 2018. Her 136 runs now stand as the fourth-highest individual score by an Indian batter in women's ODIs and the third-highest by an opener.
The ongoing series is currently a part of the 2022–2025 ICC Women's Championship cycle, a one-day competition among 10 teams vying for qualification to the 2025 Women's Cricket World Cup. India has already secured a spot in the tournament as the host nation. Australia, the two-time defending champions, claimed victory in the 2014-16 and 2017-20 cycles.
The final match of the series against South Africa is scheduled for June 23 in Bengaluru, followed by a one-off Test match in Chennai and a three-game T20I contest.
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 "INDW vs SAW, 2nd ODI: Smriti Mandhana scripts history, becomes first Indian woman to achieve this record in ODI")
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