‘Wanted to go out and bat with a lot of freedom’: Smriti Mandhana on 135-run knock vs Ireland | Cricket News

After clean sweeping West Indies and Ireland in back to back ODI series, India batter Smriti Mandhana said that it will act as a catalyst to make 2025 their best year in 50-over cricket. India will host the women’s ODI World Cup later this year.
“Two 3-0 sweeps are definitely really good in a World Cup year especially. We have to like keep going and have this for the best year for one-days (dayers),” Mandhana said in a BCCI video.
The swashbuckling batter scored a blering 135 against Ireland in the 3rd ODI on Wednesday and with opening partner Pratika Rawal (154), put on a 233-run partnership for the 1st wicket which eventually set India up to score 435 runs, their highest in the 50-over format.

A post-series chat with the record-breaking opening duo! 😎
From Maiden ODI century to Fastest ODI Hundred for India in women’s cricket 💯
Captain Smriti Mandhana and Pratika Rawal it all 😃👌 – @mihirlee_58 #TeamIndia | #INDvIRE | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/7c0xsYGaIo
— BCCI Women (@BCCIWomen) January 16, 2025
“I wanted to go out and bat with a lot of freedom. I said in the dugout before I went in about that you know, I’m going to try and play my shots because not many times you get an opportunity to do that,” Mandhana said.
Rawal, who notched up her first hundred admitted she slowed down nearing her century but gained pace of scoring once she was past the landmark.
“As a batter I always wanted to score more runs and doing that for your country is actually a privilege and I am very happy,” she said. “After (crossing) 70 (runs) I was a bit conscious that there was a hundred (on the cards). I was taking singles and going slow but when I got the hundred, I was like, let’s just go for it. The 50 runs after the hundred came a bit quicker. I was able to score the way I score,” she said.

Talking about her 233-run opening stand with the senior batter, Rawal said, “It felt like that it was happening with the flow, we didn’t think about it.” “We got to know stats now, actually,” Mandhana added.
(With agency inputs)

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