Jaise koi bada drama ho, jahan ek nayi kahani shuru hoti hai, lekin purana champion thoda peeche chala jata hai. Mandhana ka yeh comeback, bilkul filmi style mein, 2019 ke baad pehli baar unhe No. 1 banaya hai, jabki Wolvaardt ke 19 rating points ke nuksaan ne unka taaj cheen liya.
Mandhana ki yeh safalta koi achanak se nahi aayi. Unki 11vi ODI century, Sri Lanka aur South Africa ke khilaaf tri-series ke final mein 116 runs (101 balls) ki shandaar innings, ne unhe 727 rating points dilaye. Iske ult, Wolvaardt ka West Indies ke khilaaf 27 aur 28 runs ka score unhe mehnga pada. Nat Sciver-Brunt, jo ab England ki nayi captain hain, 719 points ke saath Wolvaardt ke barabar hain. Yeh rankings ka khel hai, jahan ek match aapko hero se zero bana sakta hai.
| Khiladi | Rating Points | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Smriti Mandhana | 727 | 1 |
| Laura Wolvaardt | 719 | 2 |
| Nat Sciver-Brunt | 719 | 2 |
| Amy Jones | 689 | 4 |
Ab thodi baat South Africa ki. Wolvaardt ki team ne West Indies ke khilaaf series 1-1 se barabari ki, lekin Tazmin Brits (27th rank) aur Sune Luus (42nd rank) ne apni jagah sudhaari. Luus ki 76 runs ki innings Barbados mein kamaal thi. Lekin yeh chhoti jeet unhe bada boost nahi de saki. Doosri taraf, Mandhana ki Indian team tri-series jeetkar ODI World Cup 2025 ki taiyaari mein josh se bhari hai. Unke 2024 ke stats dekhein: 1260 runs, 21 innings mein, 60 ki average ke saath, 6 centuries aur 5 fifties. Yeh hai asli consistency!
Yaad hai 2017 ka Women’s World Cup final? India, jisme Mandhana thi, England se bas 9 runs se haar gayi thi. Us waqt Nat Sciver-Brunt ne 51 runs banaye the, aur England ne khitab jeeta. Aaj Sciver-Brunt rankings mein doosre sthaan par hain, lekin unki team ko India ke khilaaf aane wali series mein sakht challenge milega. India ke Jemimah Rodrigues (15th) aur Harmanpreet Kaur (16th) bhi top-30 mein hain, jo team ki taakat dikhata hai.
South Africa ki baat karen, toh unki team kabhi-kabhi underdog bankar bhi chamakti hai. 2023 T20 World Cup semi-final mein, jab unhone Australia ko takkar di thi, Wolvaardt ne 61 runs banaye the. Aisi performances unhe khatarnak banati hain, lekin consistency ki kami unhe peeche rakhti hai. Mandhana, jo Royal Challengers Bengaluru ki captain bhi hain, WPL 2025 se pehle 4000 ODI runs ke club mein Mithali Raj ke saath shamil hui. Yeh milestone chhoti teams ke liye bada sapna hota hai.
Lekin yeh rankings ka tamasha bhi ajeeb hai. Ek century aapko raja bana deta hai, aur do kharab innings aapko neeche gira deti hain. Wolvaardt ke liye yeh ek jhatka hai, lekin unki umar (26) aur talent unhe wapas shikhar par la sakta hai. Mandhana bhi 28 saal ki hain, aur unka yeh golden phase shayad India ko World Cup jeetne mein madad kare. Agli series mein India aur England ka muqabla hoga, jahan Mandhana aur Sciver-Brunt ke beech jung dekhne layak hogi.
Ant mein, cricket ka yeh khel thodi si mayoosi bhi deta hai. Aaj Mandhana upar hain, kal koi aur hoga. Wolvaardt jaise khiladi ke liye, jo chhoti team se aati hain, har run, har rank, ek badi ladai hai. Lekin jab tak khel hai, ummeed bhi hai. Par yeh ranking ka naach? Yeh toh bas ek number ka khel hai, jo dil jeetne se zyada dil dukha deta hai.
