The 2022 season of the Indian Women’s Cricket Team was one to remember. They also had their fair share of success, including the dreaded World Cup game.
The team’s progress on the international stage demonstrates the country’s growing interest in women’s cricket. The batting unit of the team has also contributed to that, competing with the likes of Australia and England, two of the world’s best teams right now.
In light of this, take a look at the ratings of India’s top five batsmen in 2022’s One Day Internationals.
#1 Harmanpreet Kaur (9/10)
Harmanpreet Kaur, in contrast to her predecessor, is much more upbeat on the field and usually believes in setting an example for others.
Last year, she scored 754 runs at an average of 58 and a strike rate of nearly 90, making her India’s leading run-scorer. She has also scored a few hundred, in addition to five half-centuries.
During a crucial match against the West Indies at the ODI World Cup in February 2022, the first of those hundreds were scored. She also set a record for the highest score by an Indian women’s player in one-day internationals in 2022 when she scored a ferocious unbeaten 143 against England at Canterbury. This helped India win the series 3-0, which will go down in history.
#2 Smriti Mandhana (9/10)
Smriti Mandhana has consistently been one of India’s most consistent batters across all formats. In 2022, the graceful left-hander from Sangali scored 696 runs in 15 matches, batting at a strike rate of 81.21 and an average of 49.71.
The vice-captain of the Women in Blue made runs for fun last year, scoring six half-centuries and a century in One Day Internationals. During the World Cup, when she scored 327 runs in seven matches, her only century came against the West Indies.
She scored 181 runs and 104 runs, respectively, in the series against England and Sri Lanka, proving that she is still at the top of her game. In all formats, Mandhana had a great year, and he wants to continue that trend into 2023.
#3 Mithali Raj (7/10)
The former Indian captain was the team’s third-highest run-scorer in one-day internationals in 2022, despite playing only 12 games. Mithali Raj retired after India’s World Cup exit in 2022, scoring 414 runs at an average of 41.40.
She scored 68, the highest of her five half-centuries, in 12 matches. She scored 232 runs in five matches of the World Cup preparation series against New Zealand. She also scored 182 runs in the tournament.
Mithali did get some criticism for her approach and strike rate at times toward the end of her career. She was one of Indian cricket’s greatest batters when she retired from the game, and she was also the second-highest run-scorer in World Cups (1321 runs), behind only Debbie Hockley (1501 runs).
#4 Yastika Bhatia (6/10)
Yastika Bhatia’s participation with the Indian team was in a state of stop-start year in 2022. She scored 376 runs in 16 games this year, batting at a strike rate of 73.29 and an average of 25.06. She secured her spot in the World Cup with impressive performances against Australia and New Zealand after making her way into the Indian team in 2021.
In six World Cup matches, the Baroda batter scored 178 runs, including back-to-back fifties against Bangladesh and Australia. Jemimah Rodrigues and Richa Ghosh have dominated Yastika’s battle for a position on the team.
The 22-year-old wicketkeeper has more than one skill set and is a left-handed option for the team. She has also batted in a few different positions in the batting order, with her best runs coming in the third position. The southpaw batter, on the other hand, will need to play her game more consistently to stay on the side.
#5 Shafali Verma (7/10)
Since her debut, Shafali Verma has established a reputation as a dasher and is one of India’s most destructive batters. She scored 367 runs at an average of 26.21 and a strike rate of 88.86 in 2015’s 15 matches.
The year 2022 was a mixed bag for the 18-year-old Rohtak resident. She struggled with a consistent run of performances this year, scoring three ducks and three fifties.
Shafali only scored 104 runs in four World Cup matches. In the final league match, her 53 against South Africa was crucial, almost enabling her team to win.
She scored 155 runs during the three-match series against Sri Lanka. However, her ODI season came to an abrupt end when she played England, scoring only 9 runs in three matches.