![Smriti Mandhana Falls For A Duck vs ZIMW in 2nd ODI [Source: AFP]](https://onecricketnews.akamaized.net/parth-editor/oc-dashboard/news-images-prod/1792919862087_SmritiMandhana.jpg?type=hq)
Smriti Mandhana Falls For A Duck vs ZIMW in 2nd ODI [Source: AFP]
In a disappointing turn of events, Smriti Mandhana was dismissed for a duck during the 2nd ODI between India Women and Zimbabwe Women. This outing landed Mandhana in a shambolic list of records.
India batted first in the second ODI against Zimbabwe with skipper Smriti walking out to open the innings with Pratika Rawal. However, in the very first over, Zimbabwe drew first blood.
Smriti Mandhana walks off on a duck vs Zimbabwe
Nomvelo Sibanda bowled a short delivery outside the off-stump line to Smriti Mandhana in the first over. However, in poor shot selection, the skipper got a top edge while trying to pull, and it went straight to Loryn Phiri at short third man.
Phiri judged the catch well and didn’t make any mistake to send Mandhana back to the dressing room on a 2-ball duck. The captain made her way to the pavilion with a disappointed face as she appeared extremely livid.
Meanwhile, this duck also landed Smriti Mandhana on an unwanted record list. With 5 ducks in WODIs, she has the third-most ducks as an opener for India in the format.
Most Ducks as Openers for India in WODIs:
- 9 - Jaya Sharma
- 6 - Jemimah Rodrigues
- 5 - Anju Jain, Punam Raut, Smriti Mandhana
- 4 - Anagha Chopra
The list is topped by Jaya Sharma, who got 9 ducks, while Jemimah Rodrigues ranks second with 6 ducks. But now, Mandhana has also joined the unwanted list, which is a massive setback for her, especially in the captaincy journey.
Smriti Mandhana’s performance since captaincy takeover
Notably, the ongoing multi-format bilateral series with Zimbabwe Women is Smriti Mandhana’s first assignment as India Women’s full-time captain. Earlier this month, she succeeded Harmanpreet Kaur to become the new leader of the pack.
However, her performance as a batter since becoming captain has not been satisfactory. In the 3-game T20I series, she scored 56 runs in 2 innings with a strike rate of 180.
Additionally, in the first ODI, Mandhana scored just 32 runs off 34 balls in a 200-run chase. Even though India won the game comfortably by 9 wickets, Smriti’s personal contribution was lacking.
Hence, as skipper, questions will be raised about Smriti Mandhana. Expectations are already high from her as India’s senior and successful opener. Hence, she must prove herself in the new leadership role as well.
