Do you know who is the first woman to take four wickets in four balls in T20I?
Everyone knows Lasith Malinga who has taken four wickets in four balls in men's cricket, but do you know the first women who have done the same in women's T20I?
I know you watch T20 cricket all the time? But do you know who is the first woman to take four wickets in four balls in T20I? Don't you? All right let's check out that in this article.
In the year 2020, german right arm pacer Anuradha Doddaballapur became the first women cricketer to take four wickets in four consecutive balls. Lovers of the game will remember the slinging superstar Lasith Malinga from this achievement. She was not ready to stop and got another wicket to register herself as a five-wicket haul.
It is interesting to note that she gave a mere single in exchange for the five wickets she took. Before getting into the action, she took a catch and began her spell with Jo-Antoinette Stiglitz who was dismissed at a score of one. Her next three victims were Tugce Kazanci, Anisha Nookala, and Priya Sabu who were gifts for a scorer as they all had a duck against their names.
She got four wickets off four consecutive balls and broke all hopes of the Austrian side who were chasing a mammoth total. The final nail in the coffin was yet to come. Anuradha came back again and got Harjot Dhaliwal too. She had sent half of the Austrian batting unit into the dugout with her pace.
Anuradha Doddaballapur took four wickets in four balls in T20Is
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Germany's @Anuradha_D_18 claimed incredible figures of 5️⃣/1️⃣ against Austria earlier, becoming the first woman to take four wickets in four balls in T20Is 🤯 pic.twitter.com/EDPx5FBL4E
Austria fell down and was restricted to a total of 61 after losing 9 wickets. They were batting second after the Germans got a colossal 198 on the scoreboard. It is interesting to note that one of her teammates got a hat trick in the previous match.
Anne Bierwisch got the better of Austrians before the record from Anuradha came up. Not only this, but the T20 series between these two sides also have just gifted the cricketing fraternity with its maiden century after the pandemic. It won't be incorrect to say that, unlike all speculations, women's cricket is rising strong and sublime.
Youngest Indian cricketers to score an international century
Sachin Tendulkar leads the inspiring list of youngest Indian cricketers to score an international century, with his unbeaten 119 against England in 1990. Discover who else achieved this milestone at an young age.
Every young cricketer dreams of scoring a century for their nation on an international stage. But for a precious few, that dream became a jaw-dropping reality early in their careers.
India has been gifted with such memorable centuries by youngsters who later turned out to be cricketing legends. We are talking about Sachin Tendulkar and his unmatched legacy in the list of the youngest Indians to score an international century.
Check out the other names that follow up with their quality batting skills.
1. Sachin Tendulkar (17 years 107 days) | 1990
Saching Tendulkar getting praised by fellow cricketers as he walks down after his unbeaten 119 against ENG in 1990. | Mint
Sachin Tendulkar is the youngest Indian cricketer ever and the 3rd youngestoverall to score an international century with his maiden century at Old Trafford, in August 1990. At just 17 years and 107 days old, he scored an unbeaten 119 in the fourth innings, helping India to save the Test match against England.
Sachin not only announced his arrival on the global stage with this knock, but also helped India secure a draw in the test.
Prithvi Shaw celebrating his maiden Test century in 2018. Image | Instagram
Prithvi Shaw became the youngest Indian to score a century on Test debut and the second-youngest in this list of international centuries with his knock against the West Indies in October 2018. He was only 18 years and 329 days old at that time.
He reached his hundred in 99 balls and scored 134 runs in that innings, which marked a spectacular test debut.
3. Kapil Dev (20 years 18 days) | 1979
Kapil Dev representing India in tests. Image | Khel Now
India's legendary all-rounder, Kapil Dev, holds the third place with his century against the West Indies on home soil in 1979. It was his first test century, at the age of 20 years and 18 days. He was 126 not out in the particular innings.
4. Abbas Ali Baig (20 years 126 days) | 1959
Abbas Ali Baig representing India. Image | Getty Images
Abbas Ali Baig scored his first test century at the age of 20 years and 126 days against England in July 1959. This made him the first Indian to score a century on Test debut outside India and the fourth youngest centurion in this elite list.
Apart from his brilliant achievements in the field of cricket, he is also famously remembered for being kissed by a female fan during a Test match in Bombay.
Madhav Apte batting in a cricket match. Image | Facebook
The former Indian test opener, Madhav Apte, scored his only test century at the age of 20 years 137 days in January 1953 against the West Indies. He made 163 not out in the fifth test of the series.
Despite the impressive century and a good tour, his Test career was surprisingly short-lived, playing only 7 tests.
6. Ajay Ratra (20 years 148 days) | 2002
Ajay Ratra representing India in tests. Image | ESPNcricinfo
Ajay Ratra is a former wicket-keeper batter who also had a short-lived test career, comprising 6 test matches. However, he scored an impactful century at only 20 years and 148 days of age, which puts him in the 6th place for the youngest Indian cricketers to score an international century.
He scored this in May 2002 against the West Indies and helped India secure a draw on a flat pitch.
7. Ravi Shastri (20 years 248 days) | 1983
Ravi Shastri in action for India in tests. Image | BBC
Ravi Shastri scored his first test century in January 1983 at the age of 20 years and 248 days. He scored 128 in that innings against Pakistan's strong pace attack led by Imran Khan.
This innings transitioned him into an opening batsman, showcasing his finest skills and ability to adapt.
Vijay Manjrekar playing for India. Image| ESPNcricinfo
Vijay Manjrekar delivered a key performance on the international stage early in his career with his Test century against England in 1952. At the age of 20 years and 253 days, he stood elegantly against a great English bowling attack.
9. Gundappa Viswanath (20 years 276 days) | 1969
Gundappa Viswanath representing India in tests. Image | LatestLY
Gundappa Viswanath holds the 9th position with his maiden Test century against Australia in 1969, when he was 20 years and 276 days old. After a duck in his first innings, he bounced back with a magnificent 136 runs in the second innings.
This knock brought him into the limelight at an early age, and also helped the nation see his ability to score underpressure.
Rishabh Pant celebrating his maiden Test century in 2018 against England. Image | DNA
Rishabh Pant's aggressive and fearless approach came into light with his maiden Test century at 20 years and 338 days of age, making his way to the Top 10 youngest Indian cricketers to score an international century.
With this performance in 2018, Pant also became the first Indian wicket-keeper to score a test century in England.
Young guns at the top, perfect lengths, experience in the middle: Pune Warriors set a T20 blueprint at Women's Maharashtra Premier League
Without many superstars in the team, Pune Warriors won 7 out of 7 games to win the Women's Maharashtra Premier League 2025. Gaanesh Tyagi, the analyst of the team, shared the blueprint of the win with Sportz Point.
Seven out of seven wins. Invincible Pune Warriors defeated all the odds to come out victorious in the Women's Maharashtra Premier League 2025.
While other franchises had big names, such as Smriti Mandhana, Tejal Hasabnis, and Kiran Navgire, among many other stars of the women's game, Pune Warriors had a clear plan and strategy.
With only prominent names in Anuja Patil and Shweta Mane, the Pune Warriors Women's team depended on clear thoughts, executions and camaraderie to win the league. Team analyst Gaanesh Tyagi shared all the secrets in an exclusive interview with Sportz Point.
Gaanesh is a high performance analyst from Mumbai, who has worked for more than 10 T20 franchise teams. He was also the analyst of the Mumbai Cricket team, which won their first ever Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament in 2023.
The team combination: All-rounders, effectiveness and youth
Even before stepping onto the field to win the tournament, teams must first succeed in a different battle during the draft or auction. This is where many teams secure half of their victory. Women’s cricket has different demands than men’s cricket, and in T20 cricket, the need for strong all-rounders reaches its peak.
With captain Anuja Patil being the perfect all-rounder for the team, the coaching staff opted for additional all-rounders to effectively manage the middle overs.
"The entire coaching staff and captain Anuja Patil were involved in building the team. We aimed to have more all-rounders while also featuring skilled individuals for every situation in the game,” Gaanesh explained to Sportz Point.
During their initial meeting with the players, captain Anuja and the coaching staff discussed a comprehensive plan for winning the tournament. This provided every player with a clear roadmap and clarity on how they needed to prepare for each aspect of the game.
"In that first meeting, we talked about how we should be winning the tournament. Each player knew their role within the team, which helped provide a clear roadmap for everyone,” Gaanesh added.
This phrase has become quite popular in world cricket. Even in the Indian Premier League, the team with the superior bowling combination often performs better. Analysts play a crucial role here by offering insights on optimal lengths, lines, speeds, and determining who should bowl at various stages of the game.
For Pune Warriors, prior to each match, analysts would provide each bowler with a specific plan to tackle all potential batters they might face.
"In women’s cricket, understanding lengths is crucial. Knowing what length to bowl against which batter is key. We had strategies for each opponent.
"So, it was all about execution on the field, which our bowlers accomplished successfully. That’s why we had two bowlers, Chinmayee Bhorpale (the Purple Cap winner) and Anuja Patil, in the top five highest wicket-takers list," Gaanesh stated.
When you have a young and relatively inexperienced team, it’s essential to have someone who can guide each player. Just as the Rajasthan Royals had Shane Warne, Pune Warriors had Anuja Patil.
Anuja, who has played 50 T20Is for the Indian national team, possesses the knowledge necessary to win cricket matches. With her leadership, every young player learned how to approach each match to achieve victory.
"We affectionately called her the 'Boss Lady.'
The entire team respected and followed her decisions. In tournaments like this, a clear direction is crucial, and Anuja provided the guidance we needed with her experience."
Balancing the mix of youth and experience in team building can be challenging. Some players on the squad were born after Anuja and Shweta Mane began their cricket careers.
There was a noticeable gap in age and experience, so the team needed to blend these elements effectively to perform at their best.
Both Anuja and Mane acted as both friends and firm mentors, fostering a harmonious environment that brought out the best in young players like 17-year-old Akshaya Jadhav, 16-year-old Suhani Kahandal, and U-23 player Khushi Mulla, who ended up being the fourth-highest run-scorer of the tournament.
"Youth at the top and experince in the middle"
Although the powerplay and death overs seem to be entertaining, it is the middle overs that decide the winner in a T20 game. Be it with the bat or ball, the 7-15 overs of a T20I game are the most crucial overs.
That is why Pune Warriors had the plan of having the most experienced players playing the middle order, be it with the bat or ball.
That even allowed youngsters like Khushi Mulla, Suhani Kahandal and Akshaya Jadhav to have the freedom to enjoy the game.
"The middle overs control the outcome of the game. We even saw Smriti Mandhana batting in the middle order for Ratnagiri Jets. So, from the start of the tournament, we wanted to have experince in the middle overs and youth at the top," Gaanesh explained.
"Discipline, calmness and execution"
Winning all seven of your games is a significant challenge, and in T20 cricket, it’s nearly impossible to maintain that momentum throughout.
However, according to Gaanesh, if the team maintains discipline, calmness, and focuses on execution, the chances of not losing become greater.
He recounted the last over of the final match against Solapur Smashers: “We needed to defend 9 from 6 and it became 4 from 4. But we kept calm under pressure and executed well to win the title.”
Whenever a team without many superstars win any tournament, there comes a question of whether they will be able to continue that in the next season. We have seen it with the Rajasthan Royals in the past as well.
Since winning the inaugural season, they have not been able to win any trophies. What's the secret sauce to keep winning?
"Process," Gaanesh said.
He feels all the youngsters who got a bit of fame and name from this season need to aim for bigger goals and achievements. This is how they will be able to keep them ready for next season. Most importantly, they need to focus on the process which has given them results.
Indian star opener Smriti Mandhana has regained the number one spot in the women's ICC ODI rankings for the first time since November 2019, according to the latest update released by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday.
The 28-year-old Mandhana has moved up one place to return to the top spot while South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt has slipped to joint second place with new England skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt after scoring 27 and 28 in the first two ODIs against the West Indies.
Mandhana now sits comfortably with 727 rating points after Wolvaardt held the top spot for over six months. The Indian star batsman has been in great form lately and scored the 11th century of her career, amassing 264 runs across five outings with a 52.80 averae and a strike rate of 90.41 during India's recent tri-series final against Sri Lanka and South Africa in Colombo.
Mandhana named ICC Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Year
The India vice-captain had a stellar run in ODIs in 2024, following which she was named as the ICC Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Year, scoring more runs than she ever has before in a calendar year, racking up 747 runs in 13 innings. Mandhana is one of only four women to record at least 10 centuries, with her 4473 runs standing 10th on the all-time charts.
Mandhana’s rating points currently eight ahead of newly-appointed England skipper Natalie Sciver-Brunt at 719 points. Wolvaardt dropped to equal second alongside Sciver-Brunt, while fellow South African’s Tazmin Brits (up five spots to 27th) and Sune Luus (up seven places to 42nd) are among the big movers this week on the list for ODI batters.
Jemimah Rodrigues and captain Harmanpreet Kaur, being the only other Indian batters in the top 30, placed at 15th and 16th, respectively.
ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025 Full Schedule announced; India to face Pakistan on October 5
The ICC Women’s ODI World Cup 2025 schedule was revealed on Monday, with hosts India and Sri Lanka slated to play the opener at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on September 30.
The schedule of the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025 has been released. The Women's World Cup will begin on September 30 with hosts India playing their first match against Sri Lanka at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
The eight-team tournament will be a round-robin format with the top four teams advancing to the semi-finals. The much-awaited final will be played on November 2. Australia will begin their campaign against New Zealand on October 1 at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore.
India vs Pakistan Match details
Due to tension between India and Pakistan, Pakistan will play all its matches in Colombo, Sri Lanka under the hybrid hosting model agreed upon by BCCI and PCB. In such a situation, the teams playing with Pakistan including India will go to Colombo, which is a neutral venue.
The most awaited match of the group stage between India and Pakistan will be played on 5th October in Colombo.
Women's Cricket World Cup 2025: Venues
India : Bengaluru, Guwahati, Indore, Visakhapatnam
Sri Lanka : Colombo
The tournament will be held at five major venues in the two countries. Bengaluru and Colombo have been shortlisted as potential hosts for the final.
Is Rishabh Pant's T20I career nearly over after a horrific IPL 2025?
After a disastrous IPL campaign with 13.73 average, the entire nation has this one question to ask: Is Rishabh Pant's T20I career nearly over after a horrific IPL 2025? Read to know more.
The 2025 IPL season has delivered a brutal reality check for Rishabh Pant. After being picked up by LSG for 27 crore, he turned out to be the most expensive flop of this season.
Can a player sustain an international career after such disappointing performance? Is Rishabh Pant's T20I career nearly over after a horrific IPL 2025?
Let's dive into the cold facts.
The disappointing IPL 2025 numbers
Rishabh Pant slipping down the pitch during a match in IPL 2025. Image | Facebook
Rishabh Pant was picked up by Lucknow Super Giants as the most expensive player in IPL history for ₹27 crore, which proved to be totally not worth it. He only managed to score 151 runs in 13 matches with an average of 13.73 and a strike rate barely crossing 107.
He is the lowest scorer among all the LSG batters in IPL 2025. Apart from batting performance, he also failed as a captain. The team only won 6 matches out of 13 and lost their playoffs berth under Pant's captaincy.
Pant's questionable descision-making, poor shot selections, and a complete lack of form did not justify the big price tag ahead in the auction.
The T20I context: India's current pool and future outlook
Rishabh Pant's position is now critically questionable as India's T20 squad selection prioritizes consistency in batting, high strike rates, and adaptable wicket-keeping.
The current pool of contenders are highly competitive and has the potential to outperform Pant.
KL Rahul: His current form in IPL 2025 is magnificent and he has consistently performed well for the team. Rahul's ability to anchor and accelerate has again brought him into T20I contention.
Sanju Samson: Yet another prime contender with high experience and quality performance. He also holds the ability to blend well into the format.
Dhruv Jurel: A promising young talent who also has the ability to make impactful finish for the team.
Ishan Kishan: The pocket dynamo who started his IPL 2025 season with a phenomenal century, and gained his spot in BCCI's central contract (2025), is another strong contender.
Where Rishabh Pant fits (or doesn't fit):
Rishabh Pant playing for team India in T20Is. Image | TOI
Following the poor performance of Rishabh Pant, several known names have speculated about his mental state and his inability to deal pressure. The former Indian cricketer, Kris Srikkanth, also suggested that Pant should consider taking a break from his format.
The modern T20 format demands a lot of things that Pant is completely missing:
Insufficient strike rate
Lack of clarity in shot-making
Inability to convert build innings
Diminished reliability as wicketkeeper-batter
No longer an unique left-handed power option
Difficulty handling run-rate pressure
Pant is missing the "X-factor" that he once possessed. Therefore, unless his form significantly improves soon and makes a comeback, his T20 career is effectively over.
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