New Delhi: 

Elegant opening batter Smriti Mandhana moved a step closer to reclaiming the world number one spot in the ICC Women’s ODI batting rankings after a prolific run in the recently concluded Tri-Nation tournament in Sri Lanka.

In the all-rounders list, Australia’s Ashleigh Gardner maintained her top spot while India’s Deepti Sharma improved one place to fifth after a decent outing in Sri Lanka.

India spinner Sneh Rana, who was adjudged Player of the Series, was among the big movers on the updated list for bowlers, headed by England’s left-arm orthodox spinner Sophie Ecclestone. Rana rose four spots to 34th following her stunning haul of 15 wickets in the Tri-Series at an average of just 14.

South Africa pace bowler Nadine de Klerk gained one place to move to 24th overall.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu entered the top 10, moving up two places to seventh after scoring 139 runs. India’s Jemimah Rodrigues (up five spots to 15th) and South Africa’s Chloe Tryon (up nine places to 18th) also made considerable gains.

Madhana reaps the rewards of stellar show in Sri Lanka:

Mandhana’s 101-ball 116 in the final against Sri Lanka helped her move closer to top-ranked South African skipper Laura Wolvaardt. The Indian star is just 11 rating points away from the Proteas star, who managed just 86 runs during the Tri-Series.

Owing to her heroics in the tri-series, Mandhana rose one place to second in the latest ICC rankings. She played a pivotal role in India’s triumph in the series involving Sri Lanka and South Africa.

It’s been five years since Mandhana sat atop the batting charts in ODI rankings. She last achieved the top spot in 2019 and is set to end a long drought after an excellent outing against Sri Lanka and South Africa. She amassed 264 runs across five innings to finish as the second leading run-scorer in the tournament.

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