Records tumble as Mandhana dominates South Africa

The Indian women’s cricket team dominated the ODI series against South Africa, achieving a clean sweep in the three-match series.

The series was packed with remarkable performances and record-breaking achievements.

With this series win, India recorded their tenth clean sweep in the ODIs, and second time against South Africa, the first being in the 2019-20 series.

Here’s a comprehensive review of the records that emerged from the series.

Smriti Mandhana sizzles

• Smriti Mandhana ended an 824-day drought without an international century by almost scoring three in a row during this series.
• She hit her 6th and 7th ODI hundreds, surpassing Harmanpreet Kaur, now tied with Mithali Raj for the most ODI hundreds for India.
• Mandhana’s 136-run knock in the 2nd ODI is the highest ODI score by an Indian woman in India, breaking Mithali Raj’s record of 109 against West Indies.
• With a total of 343 runs in the series, Smriti Mandhana became the highest run-getter in a bilateral series for India.
  
• Mandhana has scored 490 runs in 11 matches at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru, making her the highest run-scorer at the venue.
  
• She has been dismissed in the 90s four times in her career, ranking 5th overall, with Ellyse Perry topping the list, having been dismissed six times.

Runs galore

• South Africa scored 321/6 in the 2nd ODI, the highest innings total batting second in women’s ODIs.
  
• The 2nd ODI saw an aggregate score of 646/9, the second-highest in women’s ODI history, after the 678 runs in an England vs South Africa match.
• Four centuries were scored in the 2nd ODI, the record for the most hundreds in a single women’s ODI match.
• Five centuries were recorded in the series, the second-highest in a bilateral series.
• India’s score of 325 for 3 is the third-highest in their ODI history, following 358 for 2 against Ireland in 2017, and 333 for 5 against England in 2022.
• A total of 15 sixes were hit in the 2nd ODI (eight by India and seven by South Africa), the most in a women's ODI, surpassing the 14 hit in an Australia vs New Zealand match in 2012.

Notable Individual Performances

Harmanpreet Kaur:

• Harmanpreet scored a century in 87 balls, the fastest by an Indian in women’s ODIs, surpassing her own record of 90 balls against Australia in the 2017 World Cup semi-final.

Asha Sobhana:

• Asha Sobhana took 4/21 on her debut, the second-best debut figure for an Indian bowler, after P. Chaudhary’s 5/21 against West Indies in 1997.

Marizanne Kapp:

• Kapp’s 114 is the third-highest score by a batter at the 5th position in women’s ODIs.

Laura Wolvaardt:

• Wolvaardt’s 135* in a losing cause is the 4th highest score by a player on the losing side in women’s ODIs. She holds the top spot with her 184* against Sri Lanka.
• She has three centuries in 2024, making her joint-most in the year along with six other players.

Ground Records

M. Chinnaswamy Stadium:

• It has hosted the most matches played by India in women’s ODIs, i.e. 14, showcasing its significance in Indian women’s cricket history.

The series between India and South Africa Women’s teams not only highlighted the prowess of the Indian side but also showcased the growing competitiveness and rising standards in women’s cricket.

With stellar individual performances and new records set, this series will be a morale booster for the hosts.