South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt has reclaimed the No. 1 spot in the International Cricket Council women’s ODI batting rankings. Wolvaardt replaces India captain Smriti Mandhana, who slipped to second place following a quiet start to the ongoing home series against Zimbabwe.
This marks the ninth time Wolvaardt has claimed the top position in the ODI batting charts, a journey that first began back in March 2022. Mandhana struggled to make a major impact in the opening two matches in Vadodara, recording scores of 32 and zero, allowing the South African star to edge ahead.
Key Ranking Movements
- Laura Wolvaardt secures the No. 1 ODI batting ranking for the ninth time in her career.
- Smriti Mandhana drops to second position after scoring 32 and 0 in her first two outings against Zimbabwe.
- India’s Deepti Sharma climbs four places to 23rd among batters and rises to eighth in the bowling list.
- Harmanpreet Kaur moves up two places to eighth following a brilliant century against Zimbabwe.
Impact Across the Squads
While Mandhana slipped from the summit, several of her Indian teammates enjoyed significant upward movement in the latest update. Pratika Rawal achieved a career-best 21st position after registering her third ODI century, finishing with a 96-ball 100 in the opening game followed by 61 runs in the second fixture. Harmanpreet Kaur also capitalized on strong form by jumping to eighth in the batting table after striking 126 runs from 121 balls.
All-rounder Deepti Sharma emerged as one of the biggest gainers across multiple disciplines. After picking up five wickets across two matches and contributing with a vital 106 runs off 86 balls in the second ODI, Sharma climbed to fourth spot in the all-rounders’ standings and eighth among bowlers. Meanwhile, Shafali Verma improved her standing by moving up to third among T20I batters following a dominant series sweep against Zimbabwe, reflecting strong overall squad momentum for India.
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