India batter Smriti Mandhana became the leading run-scorer in women’s international cricket after hitting a century in her team’s Women’s Asia Cup victory over Hong Kong on Thursday.
Mandhana surpassed former India captain Mithali Raj’s tally of 10,868 international runs during a blistering 124 off 64 balls, including 14 fours and seven sixes. The 30-year-old now has 10,880 runs across formats.
The left-hander also scored her 18th international century, moving past former Australia captain Meg Lanning and South Africa’s Laura Wolvaardt, who have 17 hundreds each, to become the leading century-maker in women’s international cricket.
“I didn’t know all of this happened,” Mandhana said.
“But I love batting and am happy to contribute. There are days when you hit balls from the stumps. There are days when you edge one. It’s extremely unpredictable.”
Mandhana’s innings helped India post 193-5 after they were put into bat, with opener Shafali Verma’s 28 the next-highest score.
The 30-year-old said Hong Kong’s disciplined bowling made batting difficult in the early stages.
“They were disciplined in the powerplay, bowled really well, and the energy they showed was something we’ll learn from,” Mandhana said, dedicating her achievement to her family.
Mandhana, who made her India debut in 2013, became the first Indian woman to score international centuries in all three formats when she registered her maiden Twenty20 international hundred last year.
India advanced to the Asia Cup semi-finals after restricting Hong Kong to a modest total, with Deepti Sharma taking three wickets.
