Smriti Mandhana demoted in ICC rankings [Source: AFP]The International Cricket Council (ICC) shared an update on the Women’s T20I rankings on April 28, 2026. South Africa women's captain Laura Wolvaardt gained significant spots, moving up in the rankings, while India’s Smriti Mandhana slipped down a couple of rungs.The ICC rankings were updated after the completion of the five-match T20I series between South Africa Women and India Women on April 27. South Africa Women completed a comprehensive 4-1 drubbing of the Women in Blue with a 23-run win in the fifth and final T20I.South Africa Women complete a 4-1 drubbing with a win in the fifth T20I over IndiaThe fifth and final T20I between South Africa women and India women was played on Monday in Benoni. South Africa Women batted first after winning the toss and posted 155/6 in 20 overs. Captain Laura Woolvardt led from the front, scoring 92*, while fellow opener Sune Luus made 23 runs. For India, Renuka Singh, Shree Charani, and Deepti Sharma took two wickets each.In response, Indian batting crumbled in front of disciplined South Africa women's bowling. Bharti Fulmali (40), Richa Ghosh (25), and Harmanpreet Kaur (22) were the main scorers for India, as they only managed 132/8 and lost the game by 23 runs.With this win, South Africa Women completed a comprehensive T20I series win over India Women.Also Read: Smriti Mandhana Leaves Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma Behind; Becomes Most Successful Indian To…Laura Wolvaardt gains significant points and moves up in the ICC Women’s T20I RankingsLaura Wolvaardt not only captained South Africa Women to a massive and dominating T20I series win over India Women but also led from the front with the bat. She enjoyed a gala time thumping the Indian women's bowlers and scored a massive 330 runs in 5 T20Is, with a strike rate of 168.32. Her best score was 115, and she also hit 3 fifties to go with that century.This helped her improve her ranking in the latest update of the ICC Women’s T20I rankings. Wolvaardt moved up two places and is now in third place in the rankings with 786 rating points. Australia’s Georgia Voll leads the rankings, with Beth Mooney at the no. 2 spot.Smriti Mandhana’s below-par performance hampers her ICC Women’s T20I rankingsSmriti Mandhana played three T20Is for India in the series and managed only 62 runs with the best score of 37 and a strike rate of 134.78. On the other hand, Harmanpreet Kaur, with 169, and Shafali Verma, with 168 runs, were the top scorers for India in the series.Smriti Mandhana’s poor outing in the three T20Is she played against South Africa Women has caused her significant damage in her T20I rankings. In the latest update of the ICC Women’s T20I rankings, Mandhana has moved down one spot to no. 5 with 747 ranking points. Hayley Matthews is at the no. 4 spot.Smriti Mandhana breaks Rohit Sharma’s records in T20IsThough Smriti Mandhana played only three T20Is against South Africa, she managed to etch her name in the record books in T20I cricket. In the first match of the series, Mandhana surpassed legendary Rohit Sharma and became the highest run-scorer for India in T20Is.Smriti Mandhana was tied with Rohit Sharma for the most T20I runs for India when the game started. Rohit finished his career with 4,231 runs, including five centuries and 32 half-centuries, before retiring following India's 2024 World Cup win. Mandhana scored 13 runs in 14 balls, breaking Rohit Sharma's record. Mandhana has already scored 4,293 runs in 163 Women's T20Is, with one century and 33 fifties. Her greatest score is 112, and her strike rate is 124.95.Also Read: RCB's Suyash Sharma Leaves Legends Behind With Historic IPL Record
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