Smriti Mandhana has slipped from the summit of the ICC Women's ODI batting rankings after scores of 32 and zero in India's first two matches against Zimbabwe in Vadodara cost her valuable points. South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt has moved back to the top spot, reclaiming the No.1 position she previously held.

How Mandhana Lost the Top Spot

Mandhana, who also captains the side, managed 32 in the opening ODI before being dismissed for a duck in the second match. Those two outings proved costly enough to see Wolvaardt leapfrog her in the latest weekly update. India had already sealed the three-match series in Vadodara by winning the first two games, so the series result itself was not in doubt — but the rankings arithmetic moved sharply against the captain.

Harmanpreet, Deepti Make Big Strides

While Mandhana slipped, her teammates capitalised. Former India captain Harmanpreet Kaur rose two places to eighth among ODI batters, and all-rounder Deepti Sharma climbed four spots to 23rd in the batting chart — both players having scored centuries in the second ODI. Deepti's gains were not limited to batting: she also moved up two places to fourth among ODI all-rounders and gained one spot to eighth in the ODI bowling rankings. Pacer Kranti Gaud climbed two places to 25th among ODI bowlers, while young opener Pratika Rawal surged seven spots to a career-best 21st in ODI batting.

T20I Rankings: Shafali and Mandhana Also Gain

The Zimbabwe series produced movement in the ICC Women's T20I rankings as well. Shafali Verma moved up one place to third among T20I batters, while Mandhana climbed one spot to fourth in the same category — a reminder that her T20I currency remains strong even as her ODI standing dipped.

Zimbabwe Players Register Gains

Several Zimbabwe cricketers also moved up in the ODI batting table. Modester Mupachikwa climbed five places to 39th, Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano gained four spots to 47th, and Beloved Biza made the biggest jump among the trio, rising 16 places to 56th.

Movement Elsewhere: Australia and New Zealand

Beyond the India-Zimbabwe contest, Australia's Ash Gardner climbed nine places to 19th among T20I batters following a series against New Zealand. Australian bowlers Georgia Wareham and Kim Garth moved to joint seventh and joint 10th, respectively. On the New Zealand side, Bree Illing rose six places to 17th among T20I bowlers, while Nensi Patel climbed to 29th following the trans-Tasman series.

With the third ODI against Zimbabwe still to be played, Mandhana will have one more opportunity to claw back ranking points — though overtaking Wolvaardt will require both a big score from the India captain and further slippage from the South African.