Smriti Mandhana scored 54 runs in 52 balls and with this inning the batter completed her 3000 T20I runs. She became the sixth highest run getter in the history of T20Is
Mumbai: Just after Jemimah Rodrigues hit a boundary to seal a fantastic nine-wicket win against Australia Women on Friday, the cameras panned towards the Indian dugout where it seemed Smriti Mandhana shed a tear. Well, it was a ‘blink and you miss’ moment, where she seemed to wipe something of her face. The moment lasted for a fraction of a second and hence it cannot be confirmed if she shed a happy tear after India took a 1-0 lead in the series.
However, the video of Smriti Mandhana has gone viral on the social sphere, where the star batter was seen in tears, here is the clip:
.@JemiRodrigues with the winning runs! 😃🙌#TeamIndia win the 1st T20I by 9 wickets and take a 1⃣-0⃣ lead in the series 👏👏
Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/rNWyVNHrmk#INDvAUS | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/LAVr1uo3Yl
— BCCI Women (@BCCIWomen) January 5, 2024
Mandhana scored 54 runs and completed her 3000 T20I runs and joined the elite list of Suzannah Wilson Bates she became the sixth-highest run-getter in the history of T20Is. Smriti and Shafali played a near-flawless innings as their 137-run opening stand helped India chase down the target with 15 balls to spare.
While chasing a target of 142, Smriti and Shafali neutralized the threat carried by Australian pacers Megan Schutt and Annabel Sutherland in the powerplay.
The steadfast batters paced their innings according to each delivery and sent the bad ones away for a boundary.
Australia Women found themselves on the back foot from the very first over as Darcie Brown saw two consecutive deliveries racing towards the boundary from leg bye.
Things started to go from bad to worse as she saw her third consecutive delivery racing toward the boundary from a bye. The no-ball added salt to Brown’s wounds.
Without even scoring a single run India Women found themselves putting up 14 runs on the board.