Data check: Breaking a record that stood since 1949 and other numbers from Smriti Mandhana’s century

There are cricketers who score tons and tons of runs. And then there are those who score tons and tons of runs while making your jaw drop repeatedly. Smriti Mandhana would belong to the second category, without any arguments.

The 25-year-old shattered a few records en route to slamming a magnificent first Test century in the day-night match against Australia in Gold Coast, Queensland on Friday.

Mandhana, of course, became the first Indian woman to hit a century in day-night Tests. She is also the first from the country to reach three figures in the game’s traditional format on Australian soil.

Mandhana made 127 off 216 balls with the help of 22 boundaries and a six at the Carrara Oval, and added an Indian record of 102 runs in Australia for the second wicket with Punam Raut (36), continuing the good work after putting on 93 with Shafali Verma on a rain-marred opening day.

She brought her century with a short-arm pull shot off Ellyse Perry in the 52nd over.

Mandhana wouldn’t have added to her overnight score of 80 in the second over of Day 2 but Perry overstepped. Replays showed that the catch too might have been debatable. As she said later in the day, she has had the habit of getting out in the 70s, 80s recently, so it was a welcome reprieve and one that enabled her to end the wait for an international century since January 2019.

The India opener overcame the early jitters and went about her business in a professional manner while playing some lovely shots, including a magnificent straight drive off Annabel Sutherland. She looked set for more but was caught at short mid-off off the bowling Ash Gardner, after playing an uppish drive.

This being her fifth international century, Mandhana’s three-figure scores have all come in overseas matches. The stylish left-hander is yet to score a home ton. Incidentally, Mandhana’s first ODI century and first Test century have both come in Australia.

While going past 124, Mandhana broke a record that stood since 1949. She now holds the highest ever individual Test score by a visiting cricketer on Australian soil.

Mandhana became the ninth Indian woman to score a Test century, and the first ever to do so in Australia. She had already set the record on day one for the highest Test score by an Indian in Australia.

Opening in Test cricket is an art that takes years to master, but despite the frequency with which the longest format matches happen in the women’s game, Mandhana has taken to it like duck to water. In her fourth Test match, she has scored two fifties and a century. And she became only the second Indian opener to score a Test century away from home.

Mandhana is also now part of the two highest Test partnerships for any wicket by Indian players in Australia.

And by scoring a century in Gold Coast, five years after her century in Hobart, Mandhana became the first Indian woman to reach three-figures in both the longest format and the 50-over game against Australia.

All stats for women’s Test matches and courtesy ESPNCricinfo

With PTI inputs