India vice-captain and opener Smriti Mandhana has been nominated for the ICC Women’s Player of the Month (October) after her stellar performances powered India to its maiden Women’s ODI World Cup title.

Mandhana will compete for the honour alongside South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt and Australia all-rounder Ashleigh Gardner.

The left-hander finished the World Cup as India’s top-scorer — and second overall — with 434 runs in nine matches, striking at 99.08 and averaging 54.25. Her tally also surpassed Mithali Raj’s 409 runs (2017), the previous record for most runs by an Indian in a single edition of the tournament.

After a quiet start to the campaign, Mandhana rediscovered her rhythm with back-to-back knocks of 80 and 88 against Australia and England in the league stage. She then produced a century in a must-win match against New Zealand, sharing a record 212-run opening stand with Pratika Rawal. In the final against South Africa, Mandhana set the tone once again, adding 104 runs for the first wicket with Shafali Verma.

Wolvaardt led the Proteas to their first-ever ODI World Cup final, finishing as the tournament’s top run-getter with 571 runs, including two centuries — the highest aggregate in a single edition. Gardner, meanwhile, underpinned Australia’s semifinal run, contributing 328 runs and claiming seven wickets to underline her all-round value.

Published on Nov 06, 2025