Smriti Mandhana goes bonkers against Deandra Dottin, Chinelle Henry; enters history books during IND-W vs WI-W 3rd T20I

Smriti Mandhana went bonkers against Deandra Dottin and Chinelle Henry as the Indian captain scored boundaries in seven consecutive deliveries during the third and final T20I against West Indies women on Thursday in Navi Mumbai. Standing for regular captain Harmanpreet Kaur, Mandhana led from the front as Indian women defeated their Caribbean counterparts by 60 runs to clinch the series 2-1.

After arriving here with the series locked at 1-1, India needed something special from the Women in Blue, especially from Mandhana at the top. Put into bat, India didn't have the best of the starts, losing Uma Chetry in the very first over.

With Jemimah Rodrigues for company, Mandhana went on a rampage against Deandra Dottin and Chinelle Henry as India raced to 61/1 in the powerplay. It all started in the third over when Mandhana smashed Henry for three consecutive fours in the final three balls.

Mandhana surpasses Bates, Athapaththu

The stylish southpaw continued with 4, 6, 4, 4 in the next over off Dottin. Mandhana finally got her fifty in just 27 balls with a couple of fours off Aaliyah Alleyne in the eighth over. In the process, the Indian opener surpassed New Zealand's Suzie Bates (29) for most fifty-plus scores by an women cricketer in T20Is. Mandhana now has 30 50-plus T20I scores in her career.

With 763 runs in 2024, the 28-year-old also went past legendary Sri Lankan captain Chamari Athapaththu (720, in 2024) for most runs in a calendar year in women's T20Is. She is also the fourth woman to cross 700 runs in a year in the format. Mandhana was finally dismissed for 77.

Rodigues (39), Ragvi Bisht (31 not out) and Richa Ghosh (54, 21b) also contributed as India posted 217/4 in 20 overs. In reply, West Indies were restricted to 157/9 in 20 overs. Radha Yadav did most of the damage for India, finishing with figures of 4/29 in her four overs.

India had taken the series lead with a 49-run win in the opener. West Indies clawed back with a nine-wicket victory in the second T20I.