India opener Smriti Mandhana scripted history during the Asian Games 2026 semifinal against Bangladesh, eclipsing Suzie Bates' tally to become the top run-getter in women's T20I cricket.
India opener Smriti Mandhana became the leading run-scorer in women's T20Is on Sunday, surpassing New Zealand legend Suzie Bates' tally of 4,758 runs during India's Asian Games 2026 semifinal against Bangladesh.
Needing just seven runs to set the record, the 30-year-old left-hander reached the milestone in the third over of the innings by hitting Bangladesh pacer Marufa Akter for consecutive boundaries off the final two deliveries.
Mandhana went on to score a fast-paced 37 off 19 balls, hitting five fours and two sixes. Her innings ended on the final ball of the powerplay when she miscued a slog sweep off Akter and was caught by Sobhana Mostary at deep mid-wicket, leaving her overall T20I tally at 4,788 runs.
Her quickfire start helped power India, who opted to bat, to their fourth-highest powerplay score in women's T20I history. Mandhana's achievement also means India now boasts two batters in the top five of women's T20I run-scorers, with captain Harmanpreet occupying third place.
Mandhana is already the overall leading run-scorer in women's international cricket across formats with 10,987 runs (788 in Tests, 5,411 in ODIs, and 4,788 in T20Is), having recently overtaken former India captain Mithali Raj's milestone of 10,868 runs during the Women's Asia Cup. Furthermore, she holds the record for most international centuries in women's cricket, secured outright after scoring a hundred against Hong Kong, China in the Asia Cup group stage.
The winner of the India-Bangladesh semifinal will advance to the Asian Games final against Sri Lanka, who defeated Pakistan by eight wickets earlier in the day.
Reporting sourced from The Hindu Cricket. Photo courtesy The Hindu Cricket.