New Delhi: India vice-captain Smriti Mandhana created history on Thursday night by becoming the highest run-scorer in women’s international cricket, surpassing former India captain Mithali Raj’s long-standing record.
Mandhana achieved the milestone during a sensational innings against Hong Kong in the ACC Women’s Asia Cup T20 tournament in Dubai. Her second T20 international century powered India to a commanding 137-run victory and helped the team secure a place in the semi-finals from Group A.
Mandhana’s tally reached 10,880 international runs, taking her past Mithali Raj’s previous record of 10,868 runs. New Zealand’s Suzie Bates, with 10,740 runs, is third on the all-time list, followed by England’s Charlotte Edwards with 10,273 and West Indies’ Stafanie Taylor with 10,007.
The milestone came alongside another remarkable achievement. Mandhana’s century took her international hundred tally to 18, making her the leading century-maker in women’s international cricket. She moved past Australia’s Meg Lanning and South Africa’s Laura Wolvaardt, who have 17 international centuries each.
Mandhana has now scored two centuries in T20 internationals, two in Tests and 14 in One-Day Internationals.
Record-Breaking 124 Powers India to Victory
After being asked to bat first, India posted 193 for five in 20 overs, with Mandhana producing a breathtaking 124 off just 64 balls. Her innings included seven sixes and 14 boundaries.
She shared an explosive 74-run opening partnership with Shafali Verma, who contributed 28 off 17 balls, including two sixes and three fours, in eight overs.
Hong Kong struggled against India’s bowling attack and were bowled out for just 56 in 16.2 overs. Nandini Sharma claimed two wickets for six runs, while Deepti Sharma returned impressive figures of 3/9. Left-arm spinner Shree Charani took 2/16 and leg-spinner Prema Rawat finished with 2/12 as India’s bowlers completed a dominant performance.
With their place in the semi-finals already secured, India will face Pakistan in their final Group A match on Saturday.
‘I Never Thought About Breaking Mithali’s Record’
Speaking after becoming the leading run-scorer in women’s international cricket, Mandhana said she had not been thinking about the record while batting.
She described Mithali Raj as a legend and an inspiration for generations of Indian women cricketers. Mandhana said she had grown up watching Mithali bat and had never imagined that she would one day surpass her international run tally.
Mandhana also expressed her happiness at seeing two Indian players occupy the top two positions on the women’s international run-scoring chart.
She said reaching 18 international centuries was another special achievement, while acknowledging the influence of Mithali Raj and Meg Lanning on her development as a batter.
Mandhana said the conditions in Dubai, particularly the heat and humidity, made batting challenging. She added that she was fortunate to find the boundaries regularly, which reduced the need for extensive running between the wickets.
Mithali Congratulates Mandhana
Mithali Raj congratulated Mandhana on surpassing her record, calling the achievement a proud moment.
Raj said she had watched Mandhana develop from a young player into one of India’s finest batters and expressed hope that she would continue scoring heavily and reaching new milestones.
Top Five Run-Scorers in Women’s International Cricket
Smriti Mandhana (India) — 10,880 runs
Mithali Raj (India) — 10,868 runs
Suzie Bates (New Zealand) — 10,740 runs
Charlotte Edwards (England) — 10,273 runs
Stafanie Taylor (West Indies) — 10,007 runs
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