Cricket is not just about runs and wickets; sometimes, a small gesture can become the biggest talking point of a match. Indian women’s cricket captain Smriti Mandhana proved this when she gave a standing ovation to former captain Harmanpreet Kaur after she scored her eighth ODI century against Zimbabwe on October 24.
The moment took place during the second match of the three-game ODI series at the BCA Stadium in Vadodara. Since Smriti Mandhana took over the captaincy from Harmanpreet Kaur, there has been much speculation about their relationship, with rumours suggesting that things may not be smooth between them. However, Smriti’s warm reaction to Harmanpreet’s century became a memorable moment of the match.
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India Lose Early Wickets
India did not get off to a good start after losing Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma early in their innings. Smriti, who had recently taken over the captaincy, mistimed a pull shot in the opening over and lost her wicket. Shafali was caught at mid-wicket, giving Zimbabwe bowler Nomvelo Sibanda her second wicket of the innings.
With India under pressure, Pratika Rawal and Harmanpreet Kaur joined forces to rebuild the innings. The pair put together an important 124-run partnership, helping India recover from their early setbacks. Pratika played a valuable knock of 61 runs off 67 balls before being dismissed at deep mid-wicket in the 23rd over. Tejal Hasabnis also failed to make a significant contribution, as she could not execute her slog sweep successfully.
Harmanpreet Kaur Shines With Her Eighth ODI Century
With the responsibility of rebuilding the innings, Harmanpreet Kaur took control and played a well-paced knock. Although she was dropped three times by the opposition, she made the most of her opportunities and went on to complete her eighth century in ODI cricket.
The veteran batter appeared comfortable in her role as a senior player without the additional responsibility of leading the team. Her century was an important contribution to India’s innings and also led to the heartwarming moment when Smriti Mandhana stood up to applaud her achievement.
The gesture attracted attention because of the ongoing speculation surrounding their relationship following the change in captaincy. While rumours about a possible rift had been circulating, Smriti’s public show of appreciation highlighted the respect she showed for her predecessor’s performance.
India Look for a Strong Finish
Despite Harmanpreet Kaur’s excellent innings, India could not finish as strongly as they would have liked. Richa Ghosh, who was expected to accelerate the scoring towards the end, was dismissed cheaply. Her early departure affected India’s scoring rate during the final stage of the innings.
Deepti then reached her second ODI century by hitting a boundary through the square-leg region in the final over. She finished her innings with 15 boundaries, adding further value to India’s total.
Zimbabwe had struggled throughout its India tour and in the second ODI also the story was quite similar. The visitors suffered a heavy defeat by 121 runs as they got all out at the score of 207 runs while chasing huge target of 329 runs.
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