During their second Group A encounter in the Women T20 Asia Cup 2026, the Indian women cricket team secured a commanding victory by 137 runs against Hong Kong China. The cornerstone of India success was a magnificent and historic century from star opening batter Smriti Mandhana, who dismantled opposing bowling attacks to score 124 runs. Through this remarkable innings, Mandhana shattered numerous records, officially becoming the highest run-scorer in women international cricket while also claiming the top spot for most centuries across all three formats combined.
Following her record-breaking performance, Mandhana shared her thoughts on the milestones, admitting candidly that she had no prior knowledge of the records she was in the process of breaking during the match.
Team Victory Outweighs Personal Records
In a video shared by the Board of Control for Cricket in India, Smriti Mandhana explained her mindset at the crease. She stated that she never enters the field keeping records in mind, focusing instead on her core responsibility of scoring runs for the team. According to Mandhana, winning matches for the country remains the ultimate priority, as those are the memories that endure long after the match concludes, far superseding individual record books.
Reflecting on her career trajectory, Mandhana noted that she never imagined in her wildest dreams reaching or surpassing the 10,000-run milestone. Noting that she is currently 30 years old, she emphasized that she still has several active years ahead of her in international cricket. Fans can watch the full interaction on the BCCI Women X handle.
Tribute and Admiration for Mithali Raj
By surpassing the legendary former India captain Mithali Raj, Mandhana has now claimed the crown for most runs in women international cricket. Speaking about her predecessor, Mandhana remarked that the entire current generation grew up watching Raj play, viewing her as an ultimate role model.
In the wake of her record being surpassed, Mithali Raj took to social media to celebrate the achievement. In her X post, Raj expressed immense pride in watching Mandhana evolve from a promising youngster into one of India premier batters. Raj congratulated her warmly, stating that seeing her own record broken by Mandhana was a proud moment and wishing her continued success in scoring many more runs for the nation.
