Both Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma, the opening batters for India's women's team, have been shortlisted for the ICC Women’s Player of the Month award for July 2024. Vice-captain Mandhana is hoping to maintain her momentum after being named the top player in June. Her July stats were formidable, featuring 273 T20I runs at an average of 68.25 and a strike rate of 139.28, topped off by a career-best 149 in the Test match against South Africa in Chennai.
Indian women’s team openers Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma have been nominated for the ICC Women’s Player of the Month award for July 2024. Mandhana, India’s vice-captain, is looking for back-to-back success after winning the ICC Women’s Player of the Month award in June 2024, after scoring 273 runs at an average of 68.25 with a strike rate of 139.28 in T20Is in July. She continued her spectacular run into July, scoring a career-best 149 in the one-off Test against South Africa in Chennai.
In a record-breaking effort, Mandhana and Shafali put on a 292-run opening partnership—the greatest in the history of Women’s Tests—setting up a dominant 10-wicket win for India. Mandhana kept her form high in the T20Is against South Africa, contributing 100 runs over two innings, including an unbeaten 54 in the series finale that ensured a 10-wicket victory and a tied series. She also excelled at the Women’s Asia Cup, where she tallied 173 runs and was the top scorer in the final with 60 runs from 47 deliveries.
Shafali Verma earned her nomination through a prolific July, scoring 229 runs in the Test format and 245 in T20Is. Thanks to her incredible opening partnership with Smriti during the Test match, Shafali became only the second Indian woman after Mithali Raj to achieve the milestone of a double century.
Shafali reached the 200-run mark in just 194 balls, setting a new record for the fastest double century in Women’s Test history. Her first-innings score of 205 is the highest ever by an Indian woman, helping the team reach a historic 603/6—the highest total in Women’s Test history—and securing a convincing victory over South Africa.