Indian opener Smriti Mandhana became the first Indian woman to score a century in a pink-ball women’s cricket Test against Australia on Day Two in Carrara, Queensland on Friday (October 1). Mandhana pulled Ellyse Perry away for her 18th four to bring up her maiden Test century off 170 balls in just her fourth Test.
Mandhana, who was 80 not out overnight, after most of first day’s play was washed out due to rain was caught off a no-ball in the 46th over of the innings but maintained her composure to reach the landmark.
Mandhana familiarised herself with the pink ball by keeping one in her kit bag for the last three months, looking at it on and off while trying to ‘understand’ it. When the idea struck her, little did Mandhana know that her team would enter their first-ever day/night Test match with just two days of training sessions with the pink ball.
The idea to keep the coloured ball around her worked well for the stylish player, who was batting on a sublime 80 when inclement weather brought an early end to the opening day of their historic Test, against a formidable Australian side here.