India posted a competitive 318/5 in the first innings of the third ODI.
It was an afternoon when all roads led to Chester-le-Street. The series was evenly poised at 1-1, and Indian skipper Harmanpreet Kaur just fueled India’s chances to put their hands on the ODI series. The Mumbai Indians (MI) skipper slammed an 84-ball 102 in the third ODI to bolster the visitors’ tally to 318/5. Her innings was full of class and comprised 14 boundaries. In a stint which is very much unlike Harmanpreet, this inning had no sixes to her name. After Smriti Mandhana and Harleen Deol both contributed 45 runs each, the Indian skipper let all hell break loose, making her way to a magnificent century.
HKG
–
SAM
–
SGP
–
MAL
–
SAM
–
MAL
–
SGP
–
HKG
–
WI
172/8
AUS
18/1
ML
–
RWA
–
BHN
–
ML
–
ALZ
–
HDN
–
JIHCC
–
MAR
–
HDN
–
ALZ
–
HDN
–
JIHCC
–
MAR
–
ALZ
–
JIHCC
–
MAR
–
RPH
–
HDN
–
HDN
–
JIHCC
–
RPH
–
MAR
–
JIHCC
–
RPH
–
BCC
–
NAJC
–
GTC
–
91YC
–
TBC
–
TBC
–
EWW-W
–
MZW-W
–
MWW-W
–
LSN-W
–
BOT-W
–
SLO-W
–
RWA-W
–
CW-W
–
TBC
–
TBC
–
TBC
–
TBC
–
TBC
–
TBC
–
TBC
–
TBC
–
ENG
–
IND
–
MECS
–
CHK
–
BNC
–
TCC
–
STCC
–
CEC-A
–
CBS
–
FLI
–
TBC
–
TBC
–
TBC
–
TBC
–
BAN
–
PAK
–
UAE
–
KNY
–
UGAA
–
NBA
–
TBC
–
TBC
–
TBC
–
TBC
–
ASS
–
SGT
–
BDS
–
BAD
–
DUR-W
–
LAN-W
–
AAC
–
WIC
–
EDC
–
SAC
–
ZIM
–
NZ
–
IRE-W
–
ZIM-W
–
Jemimah Rodrigues scored a composed 50 off 45 deliveries batting at five. In the previous two ODIs, Harmanpreet had managed scores of 17 and 7 respectively. For a player of her calibre, this knock was long coming. She had not registered a 50+ score since November 2024, and this knock will give her a lot of relief. This was her third hundred against the English side, which is the most tons by her against any single team in the 50-overs format. To add to that, this was the eighth 300+ total in an ODI for the Women in Blue since January 2024.
Centuries do not come easy. But when they place you amongst the best in the world, you have everything to be happy for. Well, not that the Indian skipper needed this ton to be called a superstar of the game. But her exploits in the third ODI have placed her at level with Mithali Raj, who is considered to be one of India’s finest batters in the modern-day game. This was Harmanpreet’s seventh ton in the 50-over format, equaling the number of tons Mithali Raj holds. She is just behind Smriti Mandhana, who holds 11 ODI centuries. Getting to the three-figure mark without a single six is a testament to her skill.
What separates the Indian skipper’s batting is the range of shots she has to offer. She can willingly play the situation and analyse the pace of the game, not letting her team fall behind by a big margin. One of the shots she has mastered is the sweep shot to spinners. She can ace the sweep to perfection, and understands the nuances of when to deliver the shot. This was Harmanpreet’s third century on English soil. Her first century in England was against Australia in the 2017 Women’s ODI World Cup, when she set the stage on fire with her unbeaten 171. The Indian No.4 averages 37.67 in her ODI career.
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