Smriti Mandhana nominated for ICC Player of the Month
India vice-captain and opener Smriti Mandhana has been nominated for the ICC Women’s Player of the Month for October after her string of brilliant performances helped India to lift its maiden Women’s ODI World Cup title.
She will be contending for the honour along with South African captain Laura Wolvaardt and Australia all-rounder Ashleigh Gardner.
Smriti finished the tournament as India’s top-scorer, and second overall, with 434 runs in nine matches, striking at 99.08 and averaging 54.25.
Her tally also broke former India skipper Mithali Raj’s record for most runs scored in a single edition of the World Cup by an Indian (409 runs in 2017).
Smriti had a quiet start to the tournament but soon returned to her best with scores of 80 and 88 against Australia and England respectively in the league stage, although both in losing causes.
It was against New Zealand in a must-win match that Smriti added a record-breaking 212 runs for the first wicket along with Pratika Rawal while scoring a century.
In the summit clash against South Africa as well, she gave India the perfect start by stitching up a 104-run opening stand with Shafali Verma.
Wolvaardt guided the Proteas to their maiden ODI World Cup final with crucial knocks through the tournament. She also ended as the edition’s top-scorer with 571 runs — including two centuries — thereby breaking the record for most runs in a single iteration of the competition.
Gardner too played a key role in Australia’s semifinal run, amassing 328 runs with the bat and seven wickets with the ball.
Published on Nov 06, 2025
