Smriti Mandhana, India’s vice-captain and a left-handed top-order batter, etched her name in history on 3 September 2026 by surpassing Mithali Raj to become the leading run-scorer in women’s international cricket across formats.
The 30-year-old achieved the milestone during India’s second group match against Hong Kong at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in the ACC Women’s T20 Asia Cup 2026, finishing the innings with a sensational 124 off 64 balls and taking her career tally to 10,880 runs in 303 innings, surpassing Mithali Raj’s 10,868 in 314 innings.
A Record-Breaking Century in Dubai
Batting first after Hong Kong skipper Natasha Miles won the toss and elected to bowl, India’s openers Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma set the tone with a 74-run stand, scoring at over nine runs an over. Verma fell for 28 off 17 in the eighth over, caught by Marina Lamplough off Ruchitha Venkatesh, but Mandhana accelerated through the middle overs. She forged crucial partnerships, 37 with Pratika Rawal, 40 with wicketkeeper Richa Ghosh, and a brisk 34 with captain Harmanpreet Kaur, before being run out in the final over.
Her knock, laced with 14 boundaries and seven sixes, powered India to 193/5, the highest total of the tournament so far. In reply, Hong Kong were bundled out for 56 in 16.2 overs, handing India a 137-run victory, their second-biggest win by runs in T20Is, and a place in the semi-finals. Mandhana was named Player of the Match.
T20I Milestones and Records
Mandhana’s century was her second in T20Is and the most by any Indian in the format, while her 98 runs from boundaries in this innings are the most by an Indian woman in a T20I innings. She also now holds the record for the most sixes by an Indian in women’s T20Is, with 95. Since her T20I debut on 5 April 2013 against Bangladesh in Vadodara, she has amassed 4,681 runs in 167 innings at an average of 30.79 and a strike rate of 126.54, including two centuries and 35 half-centuries in 173 matches.
ODI Consistency and Big Scores
In ODIs, Mandhana has been India’s most consistent run-getter since her debut on 10 April 2013 against Bangladesh in Ahmedabad. Across 120 innings, she has scored 5,411 runs at an average of 47.88 and a strike rate of 90.36, with 14 centuries and 35 half-centuries. Her best ODI performance came on 19 June 2024 against South Africa in Bengaluru, where she scored 136 off 120 balls, hitting 18 boundaries and two sixes in a 325/3 total that India defended to win by four runs.
Test Match Impact at the Top
Mandhana’s Test career, though shorter in terms of matches, underlines her adaptability and class. On debut against England at Wormsley on 13 August 2014, she began a sequence of 788 runs in 16 innings at an average of 52.53 and a strike rate of 63.54, including two centuries and five half-centuries in nine matches. Her finest Test innings arrived on 28 June 2024 against South Africa in Chennai: a commanding 149 off 161 balls with 27 boundaries and a six, helping India post 603/6 declared in a 10-wicket victory.
Smriti Mandhana entered the Hong Kong game needing 113 runs to overtake Mithali Raj and did so in style, converting the occasion into a match-defining performance. With India atop Group A on four points from two games, following a 94-run win over Thailand on 30 August, and with India becoming the 1st team to book a spot in the semi-final, the campaign is on track for a deep run in the UAE-hosted Asia Cup, which runs until 13 September.
Beyond the numbers, Mandhana’s ascent marks a generational shift: from Raj’s era of steady accumulation to Mandhana’s blend of aggression, boundary-hitting, composure and big-match temperament across formats.
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