Smriti Mandhana has smashed the record for the fastest ODI century by an Indian — men’s or women’s — bringing up her hundred in just 50 balls against Australia Women in Delhi.
In a high-voltage chase of 413 runs at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Mandhana turned the contest into her playground, overtaking Virat Kohli’s famous 52-ball hundred against Australia in Jaipur (2013).
The match had already seen fireworks from Australia opener Beth Mooney, who smashed a 57-ball century, the joint second-fastest in women’s ODI history, alongside Karen Rolton. Only Meg Lanning’s 45-ball masterclass against New Zealand in 2012–13 has been quicker.
But if Mooney lit the fuse, Mandhana set off the explosion. Her fifty came up in no time, and she barely gave the bowlers a breather on her way to rewriting Indian cricket’s ODI record books. Her fireworks kept India’s chase of 413 alive before an anticlimactic end: she was eventually dismissed for a breathtaking 125 off 63 balls (17 fours, 5 sixes, SR 198.41), with India 216/4 in the 21st over.
| Balls | Player | Opponent | Venue | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | Smriti Mandhana | AUS-W | Delhi | 2025 |
| 52 | Virat Kohli | AUS | Jaipur | 2013 |
| 60 | Virender Sehwag | NZ | Hamilton | 2009 |
| 61 | Virat Kohli | AUS | Nagpur | 2013 |
| 62 | Mohammad Azharuddin | NZ | Baroda | 1988 |
| 62 | KL Rahul | NED | Bengaluru | 2023 |
This wasn’t just about speed. Mandhana has been stacking up records in ODIs over the last couple of years, and the numbers are staggering. She has now managed hundreds in consecutive innings twice, first in June 2024 and again in September 2025, a sign of her consistency at the very top. Against Australia Women, she has become a genuine nemesis, joining the elite club of players with four centuries against a single opponent, alongside Tammy Beaumont (who did it vs South Africa) and Nat Sciver-Brunt (vs Australia).
Her dominance also shows in year-by-year returns. With four centuries in 2024 and another four already in 2025, she is on par with South Africa’s Tazmin Brits for most tons in a calendar year in women’s ODIs. And then there’s the big picture: Mandhana now sits on 13 career ODI hundreds, level with New Zealand great Suzie Bates and only two shy of Meg Lanning’s all-time record of 15.
| Record Category | Player | Number |
|---|---|---|
| Most hundreds in Women’s ODIs | Meg Lanning | 15 |
| Suzie Bates | 13 | |
| Smriti Mandhana | 13 | |
| Tammy Beaumont | 12 | |
| Most hundreds in a calendar year (WODIs) | Smriti Mandhana (2024) | 4 |
| Smriti Mandhana (2025) | 4 | |
| Tazmin Brits (2025) | 4 |
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If Mandhana’s 50-ball blitz looked out of the ordinary, the numbers confirm it. She now sits second on the all-time fastest women’s ODI hundreds list, behind only Meg Lanning’s 45-ball demolition against New Zealand back in 2012. The chart has always had a strong Australian flavour, from Belinda Clark’s 64-ball ton in 1997 to Karen Rolton’s 57-ball effort in 2000, and now Beth Mooney’s matching 57-ball hundred against India in the same Delhi ODI.
It’s not just about the names; it’s about the pace at which the women’s game is evolving. Mandhana has now underlined that India belong in this conversation too, breaking into a list once dominated by Australia and New Zealand. Her batting has seen a new gear in the last few months and India will hope she carries it forward to the Women’s World Cup later this month.
| Balls Faced | Player | Team | Opponent | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 45 | Meg Lanning | AUS | NZ | 2012 |
| 50 | Smriti Mandhana | IND | AUS | 2025 |
| 57 | Karen Rolton | AUS | SA | 2000 |
| 57 | Beth Mooney | AUS | IND | 2025 |
| 60 | Chamari Athapaththu | SL | NZ | 2023 |
| 62 | Maddy Green | NZ | IRE | 2018 |
| 64 | Belinda Clark | AUS | DEN | 1997 |
Smriti Mandhana’s ODI career has gone into overdrive since 2024, marking a clear shift from consistency to outright dominance. Between 2013 and 2023, she built a solid base with 3213 runs at an average of 42.84 and a strike rate of 83.34, scoring five centuries across 81 innings. But the last two years have seen her elevate into an entirely different bracket.
| Span | Matches | Runs | Avg | Strike Rate | 100s | 50s | 6s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013–2023 | 81 | 3213 | 42.84 | 83.34 | 5 | 26 | 36 |
| 2024–2025 | 27 | 1675 | 62.03 | 105.61 | 8 | 6 | 29 |
From 2024 onwards, Mandhana has piled up 1675 runs in just 27 innings at a remarkable average of 62.03, while turbo-charging her strike rate to 105.61, a leap of more than 20 runs per hundred balls compared to her earlier phase. Even more telling is the conversion rate: she has smashed eight centuries in this short span, more than she managed in the entire decade before. The numbers underline her transformation from India’s batting mainstay into one of the most destructive forces in women’s ODI cricket and it couldn’t have come at a better time with a home World Cup due to begin shortly.
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