The year 2025 will forever be etched in the annals of Indian cricket history as the year the women's team finally clinched the coveted ICC World Cup trophy. Leading this monumental charge were two stalwarts, Smriti Mandhana and Deepti Sharma, who also finished the calendar year as the undisputed leaders in the Women's One Day International batting and bowling rankings, respectively.
Smriti Mandhana's Batting Masterclass
For the second consecutive year, Smriti Mandhana reigned supreme as the leading run-scorer in women's ODIs. The elegant left-hander amassed a colossal 1,362 runs in just 23 innings, a feat made even more remarkable by her staggering average of 61.9 and a strike rate of 109.92. Her consistency was phenomenal, crossing the fifty-run mark ten times and converting half of those into centuries.
Mandhana's five centuries in 2025 set a new benchmark in women's ODI cricket, though she shared the record for the calendar year with South Africa's Tazmin Brits and captain Laura Wolvaardt. Wolvaardt, whose sensational World Cup included centuries in the semi-final and final, finished a distant second with 1,174 runs.
India's batting dominance was clear with three players in the top five. Mandhana's initial World Cup opening partner, Pratika Rawal, secured third place with 976 runs, including two centuries, before an unfortunate injury cut her tournament short. Jemimah Rodrigues rounded off the Indian contingent in the top five, her tally of 771 runs highlighted by a match-winning, unbeaten 127 against Australia in the World Cup semi-final.
Deepti Sharma's Spin Wizardry
In the bowling department, 2025 was unequivocally the year of the spinner, and Deepti Sharma stood tallest among them. Crowned the Player of the Tournament at the World Cup, the Indian all-rounder finished as the leading wicket-taker with 39 scalps from 23 matches at an average of 27.10, including a five-wicket haul.
South Africa's left-arm spinner Nonkululeko Mlaba followed closely in second place with 35 wickets from 19 games. England's Sophie Ecclestone and India's Sneh Rana shared the third spot, both claiming 28 wickets, though Rana took four more matches to reach the tally. The top five was completed by Australian leg-spinner Alana King, who took 25 wickets in 13 matches, a haul famously headlined by her breathtaking figures of 7/18 against South Africa in Indore during the World Cup.
A Legacy Defining Year
The individual brilliance of Mandhana and Deepti Sharma was perfectly synchronized with the team's ultimate ambition. Their chart-topping performances throughout the year provided the foundation and firepower for India's triumphant World Cup campaign. Mandhana's explosive starts and Deepti's crucial breakthroughs in the middle overs were instrumental in ending India's long wait for the title.
This dual dominance underscores the rise of India as a cricketing powerhouse where individual excellence seamlessly fuels collective success. As the team builds on this historic achievement, the records set by Mandhana and Deepti in 2025 will serve as a high benchmark for the future of women's cricket in the country.
