Smriti
Mandhana, the opener of the Indian women’s cricket team, has been named ICC Women’s
Cricketer of the Year for her magnificent performance in 2021. Mandhana scored
855 runs in 22 internationals at an average of 38.86 with one century and five
half-centuries in the previous cricket season across the formats.

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Though
India had gone through a difficult phase in 2021, Smriti Mandhana had put up a
brilliant show.

In
the limited-overs series against South Africa where India won just two of the
eight matches at home, Mandhana played a key role in both of the wins. She
scored 80 not out as India chased down 158 in the second ODI that helped them
level the series and scored 48 not out in the win in the final T20I.

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Mandhana
played a fine innings of 78 in the first innings of the one-off Test against
England that ended in a draw. She played an important knock of 49 in India’s
only win in the ODI series. Her 15-ball 29 and fifty in the T20I series went in
vain though as India fell short in both the matches and lost the series 2-1.

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The
southpaw was in excellent form in the series against Australia, scoring 86 in
the second ODI. She hit a brilliant century in the only Test, the first of her
career, and was awarded the Player of the Match. She scored her second T20I
fifty of the Year in the final T20I, though India fell short and lost the
series 2-0.

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Mandhana
was earlier named in ICC Women’s T20 team of the year. The Indian team’s
vice-captain was the country’s highest scorer in the format in 2021 with 255
runs at an average of 31.87.

The
25-year-old scored two fifties in the nine matches she played and got her team
off to rapid starts regularly, as evident by her strike rate of 131.44.

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While
Mandhana was the only Indian, several members of the English side feature in
the team with Nat Scriver being named captain.