Smriti Mandhana Catches the ball To Beat Natalie Sciver, Twitter Lights Up
Smriti Mandhana made a stunning diving leap to deny England’s Natalie Sciver a half-century in the third ODI at Worcester on Saturday.
India Women opening batter Smriti Mandhana pulled off an incredible diving catch in the deep to deny England’s Natalie Sciver a half-century during the third One-Day International on Saturday in Worcester. Sciver was looking to clear the field on the leg side but mistimed the shot even as Smriti Mandhana ran to her left and dived full-length while keeping her eyes on the ball and pulled off a stunning catch. Mandhana’s effort was not only appreciated by fans but even former cricketers took to Twitter to express their views on what many termed as the catch of the season.
Watch the Mandhana’s exceptional effort in the deep here:
Former Australia cricketer Lisa Sthalekar was one of the first among ex-cricketers to laud Mandhana’s fantastic catch.
“Fly Smriti fly girl….fantastic catch,” Sthalekar tweeted.
“Smriti Mandhana showing her timing in field is just as good as her batting. A classic catch on the boundary to get the key wicket of Sciver. #EngvInd,” Mel Jones wrote on Twitter.
In the match, Mandhana also starred with the bat with a knock of 49 runs that laid the platform for a successful chase. Mandhana hit eight boundaries during her 57-ball knock.
The game was reduced to a 47-over per-side due to rain in Worcester. India Women lost a few quick wickets in the middle but skipper Mithali Raj steered the side home with an unbeaten knock of 75.
In the process, Mithali also went past Charlotte Edward’s tally of 10,273 runs to become the leading scorer across formats in women’s international cricket.
The teams will now meet in a three-match Twenty20 International series starting July 9.
