ENG-W vs IN-W: Smriti Mandhana levels Meg Lanning in an astonishing feat

Smriti Mandhana (PC: Twitter)

Smriti Mandhana on Tuesday (13 September) became the second batter after Meg Lanning to score six T20I fifties against England Women. 

Mandhana achieved this milestone in the second fixture of the ongoing bilateral T20I series against England at Derby. Furthermore, the 26-year-old was named Player of the Match for her blistering innings of 79* off 53, laced with 13 fours. 

Batting first, England posted a total of 142 on the board, with the contributions of Freya Kemp (51*) and Maia Bouchier (34). Sneh Rana was the pick of the bowlers for the visitors with three scalps. 

In response to the chase, Mandhana and Shafali Verma (20) provided a stable start to the Indian team. However, the dismissals of Verma and Dayalan Hemalatha put the Women in Blue in a spot of bother.  

Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur (PC: Twitter)

On the flip side, Mandhana was imperious with her ability to time the ball sweetly and got support from the skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (29*). 

The duo added an unbeaten 69 run-stand for the third wicket, and chased down the total, with more than three overs to spare. Most importantly, India levelled the series 1-1, and both teams will square up at Bristol on Thursday for the series decider. 

Interestingly, Mandhana's last fifty against England came in the Commonwealth Games 2022, wherein she smoked 61 off 32 balls to pave way for India to seal the final spot. 

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