Indian women cricket witnessed a monumental milestone on September 3 as star opener Smriti Mandhana rewrote the record books with a phenomenal batting display. During the ACC Women Asia Cup 2026 fixture against Hong Kong, she delivered a blistering performance that propelled her to the summit of women international cricket history. Playing at the Dubai International Stadium, the 30-year-old batter achieved this prestigious feat in her 303rd international appearance, eclipsing the legendary Mithali Raj. Mithali Raj previously held the record with 10868 runs in international cricket, a milestone that Mandhana officially surpassed.
A Record-Breaking Masterclass Against Hong Kong
Mandhana left the bowling attack clueless as she sent the ball to all corners of the park in Dubai. She smashed a blistering 124 runs off just 64 deliveries, decorated with 14 boundaries and 7 towering maximums. Although she was run out in the final over of the innings, she had already steered India into a dominant position. Thanks to her phenomenal knock, the Indian side posted a formidable total of 193/5 on the board. With this masterclass, her overall international career run tally has climbed to 10880 runs.
In this elite run-scoring chart, Mithali Raj now sits in second place with 10868 runs, while New Zealand stalwart Suzie Bates occupies the third spot with 10740 runs. During this historic innings, Mandhana also raised her career century count in women international cricket to 18. By doing so, she broke a major world record by moving past former Australian captain Meg Lanning and South Africa's Laura Wolvaardt, both of whom have 17 centuries to their names.
Most Centuries in Women International Cricket
- 18 – Smriti Mandhana
- 17 – Meg Lanning
- 17 – Laura Wolvaardt
- 17 – Hayley Matthews
- 17 – Suzie Bates
The milestones did not stop there, as Mandhana also claimed the record for hitting the most sixes for India in women T20 international cricket. Her career tally in this format now stands at 95 sixes, moving ahead of Harmanpreet Kaur's 89 maximums. Furthermore, her brilliant knock of 124 runs stands as the highest individual score in the history of the Women Asia Cup, breaking the previous record held by Sri Lanka's Chamari Athapaththu, who scored an unbeaten 119 in 2024. This is also the highest individual score by any Indian batter in women T20 international cricket.
,Another Milestone Equalled With Mithali Raj
Through this exceptional innings, Mandhana became the first Indian female batter to score more than one century in women T20 internationals. She also registered the 93rd score of 50 or more in her international career, thereby equaling Mithali Raj's prestigious world record. Mithali and Mandhana now share the top spot jointly for recording the most 50-plus scores in women international cricket, with both players having 93 such knocks to their credit.
