In a dazzling display of class and composure, Smriti Mandhana lit up the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo with a scintillating century in the final of the Women’s ODI Tri-series between India and Sri Lanka. The left-handed opener once again showcased why she is widely regarded as the backbone of India’s women’s cricket team. Her century not only turned the match in India’s favour but also marked a significant milestone in her illustrious career. Mandhana’s knock of 116 off 101 deliveries was laced with 15 boundaries and two towering sixes, displaying a combination of elegant strokeplay and calculated aggression. With India needing a solid platform in a pressure final, Mandhana rose to the occasion and anchored the innings with confidence and poise.
A century sealed in style: Four consecutive fours off Chamari Athapaththu
Mandhana brought up her 11th ODI century in truly sensational fashion. Facing Sri Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu in the 31st over, she slammed four back-to-back boundaries, triggering jubilation in the Indian camp and among spectators. The moment was one of flair and emotion, as Mandhana raised her helmet in celebration and ran straight into Harleen Deol’s arms, embracing her batting partner with uncontainable joy. Achieving the feat in just 92 deliveries, Mandhana’s hundred stood as a testament to her timing and composure under pressure. She became only the second Indian woman to score a century in the final of a women’s ODI tournament, joining the iconic Mithali Raj, who was the first to achieve this rare feat.
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Breaking records and surpassing legends: Smriti Mandhana’s remarkable ton in Women’s ODI tri-series final
With her 11th ODI century, Mandhana further stamped her name among the greats of women’s cricket. She now holds the record for the most centuries by an Indian woman in One Day Internationals, surpassing the likes of other top batters globally. In doing so, she overtook England’s Tammy Beaumont, who has 10 ODI centuries to her name.
Mandhana’s 116-run innings also added to her tally of 50+ scores in ODIs, pushing her total to 42 such innings in just 102 matches. This remarkable figure puts her in the same league as South Africa’s Laura Wolvaardt (42 in 103 innings), reflecting Mandhana’s extraordinary consistency over the years. Among Indian women, only Mithali surpasses her with a staggering 71 scores of 50 or more in 211 innings. Globally, Mandhana now sits just behind legends like Charlotte Edwards (55 in 180 innings), Suzie Bates (50 in 164), and Stafanie Taylor (48 in 159). These numbers not only highlight her run-scoring prowess but also underline her importance as a match-winner for India on the biggest stages.
Here’s how fans reacted:
Vanilla — only the beverage. The knock: anything but.
Fair to say, there was at least three hundreds for the taking on this tri-series tour for Smriti Mandhana. Finally gets one in the final.
11th ODI hundred. 4 shy of equalling Meg Lanning for the most ever. #INDvSL | #India pic.twitter.com/TnIWDuHhoX
— Annesha Ghosh (@ghosh_annesha) May 11, 2025
Smriti Mandhana, unreal consistency in the ODI format. Now only Meg Lanning(15) and Suzie Bates(13) have more hundreds in ODIs than her tally of 11 centuries. The 2025 Women’s World Cup, hopefully she crossed the tally in the mega event. India require her to be in top form.
— Spandan Roy (@talksports45) May 11, 2025
A SMRITI MANDHANA CENTURY IN 92 BALLS.
— Chityala srikanth (@srichanti73) May 11, 2025
116 in 101 ball against SL. Terrific knock Mandhana ma’am 🫡 pic.twitter.com/TAoVvC59kk
— Bleed Blue (@CricCrazyVeena) May 11, 2025
Well played Smriti Mandhana 👏
She smashed 116 (101), Fours-15, Sixes-2, SR-114.85 against Sri Lanka Women in the Tri-series Final. 🇮🇳🇱🇰🔥 pic.twitter.com/382oaiLp98
— Rishabh Singh Parmar (@irishabhparmar) May 11, 2025
💯 BOUNDARY TO BRING UP THE HUNDRED FOR SMRITI MANDHANA! 🔥🔥
What a sensational knock! Her 11th ODI century, and she brings it up in style. Calm, composed, and classy from the left-hander in the Tri-Series Final! 👏#SmritiMandhana #SLWvINDW #TriSeriesFinal #womensoditriseries pic.twitter.com/nKNHtTiHpU
— WomenCricket.com (@WomenCricketHQ) May 11, 2025
A Smriti Mandhana Century masterclass on a Sunday.
Uffff 🤌🏻 Queen 👑❤️💖— Navmeen | نومِن 🇮🇳 (@navmeen009) May 11, 2025
Oh that Catch was really pushing the line of law regarding fair catches in a way 😅
— Kartik O 🏏⚽🔗 (@KOCricket528) May 11, 2025
HUNDRED FOR SMRITI MANDHANA FROM JUST 92 BALLS IN THE TRI-SERIES FINAL..!!!
– The Queen of Indian cricket 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/mRYjCqgOdy
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) May 11, 2025
11th ODI hundred in the final of the tri-series … Top Knock by Smriti Mandhana 👸 👏 pic.twitter.com/BsJklrn0lH
— A⁷ (@anushmita7) May 11, 2025
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This article was first published at WomenCricket.com, a Cricket Times company.
