India’s women’s cricket team played their first Women’s ODI in 1978. Although the Women in Blue are yet to clinch the Women’s ODI World Cup title, they have showcased exceptional batting talent in this format over the years.
Reshma Gandhi became the first Indian woman to score a century in WODI cricket, achieving the milestone in 1999. Since then, 10 more Indian women have joined the elite list of WODI centurions, with six of them achieving the feat multiple times.
5. Thirush Kamini – 2
Former opener Thirush Kamini remains one of the few Indian women’s cricketers to have scored centuries in both Test and WODI formats. A left-handed batter, Kamini represented India from 2006 to 2017, playing 39 WODIs. She amassed 825 runs at an average of 25.78, including two centuries and three half-centuries. Her WODI centuries came against the West Indies and Ireland.
4. Punam Raut – 3
Punam Raut is among the elite group of Indian women cricketers to score two or more WODI centuries in a calendar year. Playing 73 WODIs between 2009 and 2021, she scored 2299 runs at an average of 34.83, with three centuries to her name. Notably, two of these came in 2017, a year in which she averaged 59. Her centuries were scored against Ireland, Australia, and South Africa.
3. Harmanpreet Kaur – 6
Harmanpreet Kaur, a trailblazer in Indian women’s cricket, is the only Indian cricketer to achieve the feat of scoring multiple WODI centuries in a calendar year twice. Since her WODI debut against Pakistan in 2009, Kaur has played 138 matches, scoring 3715 runs at an impressive average of 37.52, with six centuries to her credit. Her WODI hundreds came against England (twice), Bangladesh, Australia, the West Indies, and South Africa.
2. Mithali Raj – 7
Mithali Raj retired as a legend of women’s cricket, with one of the most illustrious careers in the sport. She remains one of two Indian women to score a century on WODI debut. Mithali’s career is studded with numerous records, including the most runs in WODIs, the longest career span, and the most consecutive half-centuries in WODIs. Over 232 matches, Mithali amassed 7805 runs at an exceptional average of 50.68, including seven centuries and five scores in the nineties.
1. Smriti Mandhana – 9
Smriti Mandhana leads the charts with the most WODI centuries (9) by an Indian women’s cricketer. Renowned as one of the best modern-day openers, Mandhana has been a prolific run-scorer for India, especially in chases. Since her debut in 2014, she has featured in 91 matches, accumulating 3812 runs at an average of 44.84. Mandhana’s ability to consistently deliver big scores has cemented her status as a key player in Indian cricket.