NEW DELHI: Smriti Mandhana added another landmark to her extraordinary career on Tuesday, becoming the first woman cricketer to complete 11,000 runs in international cricket during India’s Asian Games gold-medal final against Sri Lanka at Korogi Sports Park in Aichi-Nagoya.Mandhana entered the final needing just 13 runs to reach the landmark. She had accumulated 10,987 runs across Tests, ODIs and T20Is, with 788 in Tests, 5,411 in ODIs and 4,788 in T20Is. She wasted little time getting to the historic mark after India opted to bat first.The India vice-captain began with two boundaries in the opening over before launching a six in the third over to complete 11,000 international runs. The milestone added another chapter to a remarkable run of record-breaking performances for the left-hander.Mandhana had only recently taken the record for the most runs in women’s international cricket across formats from former India captain Mithali Raj. She overtook Raj’s tally of 10,868 runs with a spectacular 124 against Hong Kong in the Women’s Asia Cup earlier this month, taking her total to 10,880 at the time.
From Mithali Raj’s record to 11,000-run landmark
The 30-year-old has continued to rewrite the record books in the shortest format as well. During India’s Asian Games semifinal against Bangladesh, Mandhana surpassed New Zealand great Suzie Bates to become the leading run-scorer in women’s T20Is.She achieved the T20I milestone during her 37 off 19 balls in India’s 114-run win over Bangladesh. At that point, Mandhana moved to 4,788 T20I runs, ahead of Bates’ 4,758.Her latest landmark in the Asian Games final came just two weeks after she had established herself as the leading run-scorer in women’s international cricket. Her 124 against Hong Kong was also her 18th international century, taking her past Meg Lanning and Laura Wolvaardt for the most hundreds in women’s international cricket at the time.Mandhana’s rapid accumulation of milestones has made the Asian Games a particularly memorable tournament for her. She also became the first Indian woman to hit 100 sixes in T20Is during the semifinal against Bangladesh.
Mandhana, Shafali extend record partnership
Mandhana also reached her half-century in the gold-medal clash off just 31 balls, continuing her aggressive start alongside Shafali Verma.The pair’s latest stand further extended their record as the most prolific partnership in women’s T20I cricket. Their aggregate partnership runs moved beyond 4,000, comfortably ahead of the UAE’s Esha Oza and Theertha Satish, who are second on the list with 2,949 runs.Their partnership in the final also crossed another significant mark, with Mandhana and Shafali adding 99 runs against Sri Lanka on Tuesday.India entered the final unchanged after beating Japan by eight wickets in the quarterfinal and Bangladesh by 114 runs in the semifinal. Sri Lanka also retained the same XI after overcoming Malaysia and Pakistan to reach the gold-medal match. India’s semifinal win was powered by Shafali’s unbeaten 100 off 49 balls.The final is a rematch of the 2023 Asian Games gold-medal clash, as well as the Women’s Asia Cup final earlier this month, both won by India. India are defending their Asian Games title after winning gold in their only previous appearance in the women’s cricket event in 2023.Sri Lanka, meanwhile, are seeking their first Asian Games gold after winning bronze in 2014 and silver in 2022. Mandhana’s 11,000-run milestone has added another historic subplot to the gold-medal showdown.
