Smriti Mandhana Creates History, Surpasses Mithali Raj as Women's International Cricket's Leading Run-Scorer

Dubai: India's star opener Smriti Mandhana produced a sensational performance against Hong Kong in the Women's Asia Cup 2026, rewriting several records during a blistering 124-run innings.

Mandhana's knock not only powered India to a strong total but also took her past former India captain Mithali Raj to become the highest run-scorer in women's international cricket.

The left-hander scored 124 runs from just 64 deliveries, taking her career international tally to 10,880 runs. She moved ahead of Mithali's previous record of 10,868 runs. New Zealand's Suzie Bates follows in third place with 10,740 runs.

Most runs in women's international cricket

PlayerRunsSmriti Mandhana10,880Mithali Raj10,868Suzie Bates10,740Charlotte Edwards10,273Stefanie Taylor10,007

Mandhana reached her century in spectacular fashion, hitting three successive sixes off Ruchitha Venkatesh shortly after bringing up the milestone.

Her innings eventually ended via a run-out on the third delivery of the final over, but by then she had already helped India post 193 runs.

Mandhana breaks Meg Lanning's century record

The landmark innings also delivered another major achievement for the Indian batter.

Mandhana registered her 18th international century, moving past former Australia captain Meg Lanning, who finished her career with 17 hundreds. South Africa's Laura Wolvaardt also has 17 international centuries.

Most centuries in women's international cricket

PlayerCenturiesSmriti Mandhana18Meg Lanning17Laura Wolvaardt17Hayley Matthews15Suzie Bates14Tammy Beaumont14

Mandhana also set a new record for the highest individual score in the Women's T20 Asia Cup.

Her 124 surpassed the previous benchmark held by Sri Lanka's Chamari Athapaththu, who had scored 120* against Malaysia in 2024.

Highest individual score in Women's T20 Asia Cup

PlayerRunsSmriti Mandhana vs Hong Kong124Chamari Athapaththu vs Malaysia120*Mithali Raj vs Malaysia97*Harshitha Samarawickrama vs Thailand81Shafali Verma vs Nepal81

Mandhana sets six-hitting record for India

The Indian opener's aggressive approach also saw her break another national record.

Mandhana struck seven sixes during her innings, taking her career tally to 95 sixes in women's T20Is. She consequently moved past Harmanpreet Kaur's previous Indian record of 89 sixes.

PlayerT20I sixesSmriti Mandhana95Harmanpreet Kaur89Shafali Verma87Richa Ghosh46Jemimah Rodrigues28

Mandhana anchors India's innings

Mandhana and Shafali Verma gave India a rapid start, putting together 60 runs during the powerplay. Shafali contributed 28 before being dismissed, leaving Mandhana to take control of the innings.

Pratika Rawal and Richa Ghosh were unable to match Mandhana's scoring pace, falling for 10 and 11 respectively. Despite limited support from the other end, Mandhana continued attacking the Hong Kong bowling and ensured India finished with a commanding total.

After the innings, Mandhana said she was unaware that she had broken multiple records during her knock. She praised Hong Kong's bowlers for maintaining discipline and said she was simply happy to contribute to India's performance.

The extraordinary innings has added another chapter to Mandhana's already decorated international career, with the Indian opener now holding the women's international records for most runs and most centuries.