Smiriti Mandhana achieves career-best T20I ranking, Radha Yadav climbs high

India opener Smriti Mandhana has achieved her career-best ICC Women’s T20I Player ranking following her heroics against the recently-concluded series against England

India opener Smriti Mandhana has achieved her career-best ICC Women’s T20I Player ranking following her heroics against the recently-concluded series against England, despite a 3-0 thrashing at the hands of the visitors.

File photo of Smriti Mandhana. (AFP)

Mandhana, the top-ranked ODI batter who led the T20I side in the absence of Harmanpreet Kaur, has gained three slots to reach third position among batters after scoring 72 runs in the three matches.

Among bowlers, Radha Yadav has gained five slots to reach fifth position after grabbing three wickets from two matches while other left-arm spinner Ekta Bisht has also finished with three from two to gain three places and reach 56th in the list. Off-spinner Anuja Patil has moved up from 35th to 31st position.

Meanwhile, England have overtaken New Zealand to reach second position in the ICC Women’s T20I Team Rankings, gaining three points to reach 277 points, six behind leaders Australia.

In the last game of the three-match T20I series against England, India lost from the jaws of victory as England beat the hosts by one run in the third and final women’s Twenty20 International, completing a series whitewash in Guwahati on Saturday.

Chasing England’s modest 119 for six, the Indians had only themselves to blame as they were on course to register a consolation win after having lost the first two matches.

India needed just three runs from the final over with veteran Mithali Raj well set at the crease on 30 off 32 balls, but the ODI skipper was left stranded at the other end and didn’t get an opportunity to face a single delivery in the final over of Kate Cross (2/18).