Smriti Shriniwas Mandhana has become one of the biggest stars in world cricket over the last decade. As she celebrates her 30th birthday today, the stylish left-handed opener has built a remarkable career filled with records, trophies and unforgettable innings. Known for her elegant batting, perfect timing and fearless approach, Mandhana has inspired a new generation of young cricketers and played a major role in taking Indian women’s cricket to new heights.
Born on July 18, 1996, in Bombay (now Mumbai), Maharashtra, Smriti belongs to a Marwari Hindu family. Her parents, Shrinivas Mandhana and Smita Mandhana, have always supported her cricket journey. Her father worked as a chemical distributor, while her mother is a homemaker. When Smriti was just two years old, her family moved to Madhavnagar, near Sangli in Maharashtra.
Cricket was always a part of the Mandhana family. Her father and elder brother Shravan Mandhana both played cricket at the local level. Watching her brother practise inspired Smriti to take up the game. Although she is naturally right-handed, she learnt to bat left-handed while practising with her brother. That decision later became one of the biggest strengths of her career. She completed her schooling in Sangli before studying at Chintaman Rao College of Commerce.
Smriti’s cricket journey began at a very young age. She was selected for the Maharashtra Under-15 team at the age of nine and entered the Under-19 side at just 11. She made her senior debut for Maharashtra as a 13-year-old and later became the captain of the state team while she was still a teenager.
In October 2013, she created history by becoming the first Indian woman to score a double century in a List A match, smashing 224 not out from 150 balls against Gujarat Under-19 in Vadodara. She continued to perform consistently in domestic cricket and finished as the highest run-scorer in the 2016-17 Women’s Challenger Trophy with 192 runs, helping India Red win the title.
Her domestic performances earned her an India call-up in 2013. Smriti made her WT20I debut against Bangladesh on April 5, 2013, followed by her ODI debut on April 10, 2013 against the same opposition. She made her Test debut against England in Wormsley on August 13, 2014, where she impressed everyone by scoring a brilliant half-century.
Over the next decade, Mandhana established herself as one of the world’s best opening batters. She became the first Indian woman to score centuries in all three international formats and has remained among the leading batters in world cricket. In 2025, she played one of the finest ODI innings by an Indian woman when she smashed a 50-ball century against England during the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup. It was one of the fastest centuries in the history of women’s ODI cricket.
The years 2024 and 2025 became the best period of her career. In 2024, she scored 1,659 international runs, breaking Belinda Clark’s 28-year-old record for the most international runs by a woman in a calendar year. She followed that with another historic season in 2025, becoming the first woman to score more than 1,000 ODI runs in a calendar year. She scored 434 runs during India’s successful ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 campaign, where India lifted their maiden ODI World Cup title. She also scored five ODI centuries in 2025, equalling the women’s record for the most ODI hundreds in a calendar year.
Mandhana has also enjoyed great success in franchise cricket. She has represented Royal Challengers Bengaluru (WPL), Brisbane Heat, Hobart Hurricanes, Sydney Thunder and Adelaide Strikers in the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL), and Southern Brave in The Hundred.
As captain of Royal Challengers Bengaluru, she created history by leading the franchise to its first-ever Women’s Premier League title in 2024, which was also the franchise’s first trophy across both the men’s and women’s teams. She led RCB to another excellent season in 2026, guiding the team to its second WPL title after a record chase in the final against Delhi Capitals. She also finished as the Orange Cap winner in 2026 after scoring 377 runs, making her the highest run-scorer of the tournament.
Her international numbers show just how consistent she has been across all formats.
In Test cricket, she has scored 788 runs in 9 matches at an average of 52.53, including 2 centuries and 5 half-centuries, with the highest score of 149.
In One-Day Internationals, she has played 120 matches, scoring 5,411 runs at an average of 47.88 and a strike rate of 90.36. She has scored 14 centuries and 35 half-centuries, with the highest score of 136.
In T20 Internationals, she has played 171 matches, scoring 4,538 runs at a strike rate of 125.18. Her record includes one century and 35 half-centuries, with the highest score of 112.
Her franchise statistics are equally impressive. In the Women’s Premier League, she has scored 1,023 runs in 35 matches, including seven half-centuries. In the Women’s Big Bash League, she has scored 928 runs in 43 matches, with one century and five half-centuries. In The Hundred, she has scored 676 runs in 29 matches, including five half-centuries.
Mandhana’s achievements are much more than just numbers. She was part of India’s ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup-winning team in 2025, won the Women’s Asia Cup in 2016 and 2022, claimed the gold medal at the 2022 Asian Games, and won the silver medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. She has become one of the most respected batters in world cricket and continues to play an important role as India’s vice-captain.
As Smriti Mandhana celebrates her 30th birthday, she already stands among the greatest cricketers Indian women’s cricket has ever produced. With her elegant batting, strong leadership and a long list of achievements, she continues to inspire millions of fans around the world. Even after achieving so much, there is every reason to believe that many more records and memorable moments are still waiting for her in the years ahead.
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