Ace Indian batter Smriti Mandhana on Tuesday strengthened her position as the No. 1 batter in women’s ODIs after getting her career-best rating following a great home World Cup.

Mandhana scored 109 against New Zealand and stayed unbeaten on 34 against Bangladesh in her last two games, taking her rating to 828. She is now almost 100 points ahead of Australia’s Ash Gardner, who is in second place with 731 after moving up six spots with her unbeaten hundred against England.

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Mandhana Leads The Way

Mandhana’s great form continues. She was named ICC Women’s Player of the Month for September for her strong performance in the ODI series against Australia before the World Cup.

South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt moved into the top three after scoring 90 and 31.

England’s Amy Jones entered the top 10 with a four-place jump to ninth (656), while Annabel Sutherland made the biggest move among the top 40, climbing 16 spots to 16th (613).

Another Indian batter, Pratika Rawal, who will miss the rest of the World Cup due to injury, moved into the top 30 and now sits 27th with a rating of 564.

SMRITI MANDHANA IN THIS WOMEN'S WORLD 2025:

- 7 Matches.
- 7 Innings.
- 365 Runs.
- 60.83 Average.
- 102.53 Strike rate.
- 1 Hundred.
- 2 Fifties.
- Leading runs scorer in this World Cup.

SMRITI MANDHANA, THE QUEEN OF CRICKET. 👸👑 pic.twitter.com/NudYvcDXeS

— Tanuj (@ImTanujSingh) October 28, 2025

Bowlers And All-Rounders Shine

Spin has played an important role in the tournament, and the rankings show that. England’s Sophie Ecclestone stays No. 1 in the women’s ODI bowling rankings (747). Australian leg-spinner Alana King, who took seven wickets against South Africa, moved up five places to a career-best rating of 698, going past her teammate Ash Gardner, who is now third (689).

Pakistan’s Nashra Sandhu shares the 10th spot with South Africa’s Nonkululeko Mlaba (610). Pacers Marizanne Kapp and Sutherland each moved up one spot to fourth and seventh.

England’s Linsey Smith made the biggest improvement, rising 24 places to 36th (444). Gardner remains No. 1 among all-rounders (503), while Kapp has taken the No. 2 spot from Hayley Matthews (422).

Sutherland’s strong form also helped her move to fourth in the all-rounder rankings, while her teammate King entered the top 10 with a three-spot rise to 262.

Indian opener Smriti Mandhana is in great form with the bat and slammed a memorable century on Thursday (October 23) in the crucial match against New Zealand Women at Navi Mumbai in the league stage of the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025. 

After New Zealand Women sent India Women to bat first, Indian openers Pratika Rawal and Smriti Mandhana provided the team's record-breaking partnership in the competition history by setting up a 212-run partnership for the first wicket. Mandhana completed her 14th WODI century and third Women's Cricket World Cup century in 88 balls. She scored 109 off 95 balls with 10 fours and four sixes. 

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Smriti Mandhana records second-most Women's ODI centuries

The century was Smriti Mandhana's 14th WODI century as she recorded the second-most WODI hundreds. Below, we have brought some top records of the latest memorable century of Smriti. 

Second most WODI centuries

With her 14th WODI hundred, Smriti became the second most centurion in Women's ODI cricket history, as she surpassed Suzie Bates' 13 WODI centuries. Meg Lanning holds the record with 15 WODI hundreds. 

Joint most WODI centuries in a calendar year

With five WODI centuries in 2025, Smriti equalled the record for most WODI centuries in a calendar year, while the South African cricketer Tazmin Brits has set this record this year.

Joint most centuries by an Indian in Women's ODI World Cup

Smriti recorded her third century in the Women's ODI World Cup. After Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti became the second Indian to record three centuries in the Women's ODI World Cup.

Joint second most WODI centuries against New Zealand Women

With her third WODI hundred against New Zealand Women, Smriti equaled Australian Karen Rolton's three WODI centuries record against the White Ferns. Australian Meg Lanning holds this record with six WODI centuries against New Zealand Women. 

Second most WODI centuries at home

With her seventh WODI hundred, Smriti recorded the second most Women's ODI centuries at home. Only the English cricketer Tammy Beaumont is ahead of Smriti in this record with her 10 WODI centuries at home. 

A total of eight teams are playing in the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup 2025. The matches are happening at four venues in India and one in Sri Lanka. Three teams – Australia, South Africa, and England – have already reached the semifinals. The other five teams – India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and New Zealand – are still fighting for the last semifinal spot.

On Monday, October 21, Sri Lanka will play against Bangladesh in the 21st league match of the World Cup. After this match, one team will be out of the tournament (if rain does not stop the game).

The race for the semifinals is getting exciting. All five teams will try their best to make it. Here is a look at how India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and New Zealand can reach the semifinals.

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1. India (4 points from 5 matches, NRR: +0.526)

India will reach the semifinals if they beat New Zealand on October 23 and Bangladesh on October 26 at Dr DY Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai. If India beat New Zealand but lose to Bangladesh, they can still qualify, only if New Zealand lose to England and Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka and Pakistan fail to win more than one of their remaining two matches.

2. New Zealand (4 points from 5 matches, NRR: -0.245)

New Zealand will reach the semifinals if they beat India and England in their last two matches on October 23 and 26. If they beat India and the match against England is a draw, they will qualify with 7 points. If New Zealand lose both matches, they will be out. If they lose to India but beat England, they need India to lose to Bangladesh by a big margin so New Zealand can finish fourth on net run rate with six points.

3. Bangladesh (2 points from 5 matches, NRR: -0.676)

Bangladesh will qualify if they win their last two matches against Sri Lanka (October 20) and India (October 26). They also need the India-New Zealand match to end in a draw, Pakistan to lose at least one of their last two matches, and England to beat New Zealand on October 26. If this happens, Bangladesh will finish fourth with 6 points. India and New Zealand will have 5 points each, and Sri Lanka and Pakistan a maximum of 4 points.

4. Sri Lanka (2 points from 5 matches, NRR: -1.564)

Sri Lanka will reach the semifinals if they win their last two matches – against Bangladesh on October 21 and Pakistan on October 24 – the India-New Zealand match ends in a draw, and both India and New Zealand lose their last matches. Then Sri Lanka will finish with 6 points, India and New Zealand with 5 points each, and Bangladesh and Pakistan no more than 4 points.

5. Pakistan (2 points from 5 matches, NRR: -1.887)

Pakistan will qualify if they win their last two matches – against South Africa (October 21) and Sri Lanka (October 24) – the India-New Zealand match ends in a draw, and both India and New Zealand lose their last matches. They also need Bangladesh to lose to Sri Lanka on October 20 but beat India on October 26.

If this happens, Pakistan will finish fourth with 6 points, India and New Zealand with 5 points each, and Bangladesh and Sri Lanka no more than 4 points.

Another India vs Pakistan (IND-W vs PAK-W) match on the cricket ground, this time for the ICC Women's World Cup 2025. For the 6th match of the tournament, the match is held at R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium, Colombo, Sri Lanka, a neutral venue for both teams. Both of the teams will try to win the match. India will be the favorite to win the match, considering their performance in the recent few matches. 

Mithali Raj from the pitch side said that the pitch is looking hard and nicely rolled. Spinner can find some difficulty on the surface, but seamers with the new ball can disturb the batters. Batters also can play strokes effortlessly on the pitch as well. According to the former India captain, toss may not effect on the result of the game. 

Toss update:

Pakistan won the toss and decided to bowl first. India will bat in the first innings.

Fatima Sana, skipper of Pakistan Women, after winning the toss, said, "Our team will aim to execute on the plans better. And we are hopeful to play our best against the opponent team. 250 can be a good total on this pitch."

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"We played a good series before this World Cup. We have played a lot of cricket here and have had good experience in the team... The atmosphere is great in the team, and we want to play the best cricket in this tournament," Harmanpreet Kaur, India women's team captain, said. 

First XIs:

India Women's: Smriti Mandhana, Pratika Rawal, Harleen Deol, Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (WK), Deepti Sharma, Sneh Rana, Sree Charani, Kranti Gaud, and Renuka Singh Thakur.

Pakistan Women's: Muneeba Ali, Sidra Amin, Aliya Riaz, Natalia Pervaiz, Fatima Sana (C), Sidra Nawaz (WK), Rameen Shamim, Sadia Iqbal, Nashra Sandhu, Diana Baig, Sadaf Shamas.

In the third ODI, Smriti Mandhana once again showed why she is one of the finest batters in women’s cricket with a blistering half-century off just 23 balls against Australia. This innings was her fastest ODI fifty, and since it was scored against the World Champions, it made it even more special. Mandhana targeted the Australian bowlers from the very first ball, playing clean shots all around the ground, and created momentum for India.

Mandhana's attacking batting put Australia back on its heels in the powerplay. The intent of her batting was clear—she was looking to dominate and give India a good start to the innings. The crowd erupted when Mandhana brought up her fifty in an astonishing 23 balls, setting a new personal record and the fastest score in women's ODIs. She added to her reputation as a big-match player who rises to the level required in matches against the top teams.

SMRITI MANDHANA SHOW 🥶

- FASTEST EVER FIFTY IN INDIAN ODI HISTORY...!!!! pic.twitter.com/y56mxWqoeI

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) September 20, 2025

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Consistency across the series

This was not the only instance during the series where Smriti Mandhana captivated audiences. In the first ODI, she recorded a lightning-quick fifty, which set a positive foundation for the Indian batting unit. Then, in the second ODI, she went one better, smashing a scintillating century, which had a major impact on keeping India competitive with the Australians. With a fifty in the first game, a century in the second, and then a further fifty in the third match, Smriti has exhibited remarkable consistency.

Her displays have been exemplified by teammates, experts, and fans alike. When considering a strong bowling attack like that of Australia, scoring so freely across three matches is no small feat. Smriti has given India opposed to fast starts by carrying the load of a building innings when required. With this form, Smriti Mandhana is sending a proper message to the cricketing world—she is able to dominate even the toughest of teams. The combination of aggression and consistency naturally makes her one of the most dangerous batters in the women's game at the moment. If she can sustain this form, India will have one of their biggest match-winners in superb form, if not at the next level, for upcoming tournaments.