Cricket can be a funny game. Sometimes, a single performance is so brilliant that it almost doesn't matter who won or lost. That's exactly what happened in the third ODI between the Indian and Australian women's teams. While Australia took the series, the day belonged to Smriti Mandhana and her unbelievable century.Chasing a massive target of 413, India needed something special, and Mandhana delivered just that. She went on an absolute tear, smashing a breathtaking 125 runs off just 63 balls.It was a masterclass in aggressive, yet elegant, batting. She didn't just score a century; she shattered records along the way. In just 50 balls, she reached her hundred, making it the fastest ever by an Indian player in ODI cricket, surpassing even Virat Kohli's 52-ball record It was also the second-fastest century in the history of women's ODIs. For a while, with captain Harmanpreet Kaur also playing a strong hand, it looked like India might just pull off the impossible.But then came the "double blow" that changed the game. Both Mandhana and Kaur were dismissed in quick succession, and the momentum shifted dramatically.The dismissals felt like a punch to the gut for Indian fans who were just starting to believe a historic win was on the cards.Even though they lost the match by 43 runs, the Indian team walked away having made a statement. They might not have won the trophy, but in a losing effort, they created history. It was a day of incredible highs and frustrating lows, a perfect example of the drama that makes cricket so compelling. And at the heart of it all was Smriti Mandhana, whose unforgettable innings will be talked about for a long, long time.
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