DUBAI — Smriti Mandhana did not simply win another match for India. In one extraordinary innings, she rewrote the record book of women’s international cricket.
The India vice-captain became the highest run-scorer in women’s international cricket history after smashing 124 from only 64 balls against Hong Kong, China, in the 2026 Women’s Asia Cup in Dubai.
Mandhana’s explosive knock took her career tally to 10,880 international runs across all three formats, pushing her beyond former India captain Mithali Raj’s long-standing mark of 10,868.
And that was only the first record to fall.
Mandhana Didn’t Just Break the Runs Record
Mandhana hammered 14 fours and seven sixes during her 124-run innings, scoring at a strike rate of almost 194 as India piled up 193 for five.
The century was also the 18th international hundred of her career, putting Mandhana alone at the top of the women’s international centuries list. Reuters reported that Meg Lanning and Laura Wolvaardt were previously level on 17.
Mandhana’s 18 hundreds are spread across the formats: 14 in ODIs, two in Tests and two in T20 internationals.
That combination matters.
Her new run-scoring record is a measure of longevity and consistency. Her centuries record shows just how often she has converted starts into match-defining performances.
And remarkably, she has reached the summit of women’s international run-scoring at just 30 years old.
Mithali Raj’s 10,868-Run Benchmark Finally Falls
For years, Mithali Raj’s career total looked like one of the toughest numbers in women’s cricket to catch.
Raj retired from international cricket in 2022 after accumulating 10,868 runs, including an extraordinary 7,805 in ODIs. Her international career stretched from 1999 to 2022 and established her as one of the defining players in the growth of the women’s game.
Now another Indian batter owns the record.
Mandhana moved to 10,880 runs with Thursday’s innings, 12 beyond Raj’s final total. New Zealand great Suzie Bates is also among the small group clustered near the top of the all-time list.
Raj publicly congratulated her successor, saying she had watched Mandhana develop from a young player into one of India’s finest batters and was proud to see her go beyond the record.
It was a fitting passing of the torch between two generations of Indian women’s cricket.
Her 124 Broke an Asia Cup Record Too
There was another milestone hidden inside Mandhana’s innings.
Her 124 became the highest individual score in Women’s T20 Asia Cup history, surpassing Sri Lanka star Chamari Athapaththu’s unbeaten 119 against Malaysia in 2024.
It was also Mandhana’s personal best in T20 international cricket and her second century in the format.
She had entered international cricket back in 2013 and has since developed from an elegant opening prospect into one of the most complete multi-format batters in the women’s game. The ICC lists her as a left-handed batter whose international career now spans 13 years.
Last year, she also became the first Indian woman to record international centuries in Tests, ODIs and T20Is after registering her maiden T20I hundred.
India Turn Mandhana’s Record Night Into a Rout
The records came during an emphatic Indian victory rather than in isolation.
Mandhana and Shafali Verma put together a 74-run opening partnership, with Verma making 28. No other Indian batter passed 11, making Mandhana’s contribution to the team’s 193 for five even more striking.
Hong Kong, China never seriously threatened the target.
India’s bowlers dismissed them for 56, sealing a massive 137-run victory. Deepti Sharma led the attack with three wickets as India recorded their second consecutive victory in the competition.
The result also secured India’s place in the Women’s Asia Cup semi-finals.
One Concern Remains Despite India’s Dominance
The scorecard, however, also offered India something to think about.
Mandhana accounted for almost two-thirds of India’s entire total, while the rest of the batting order produced relatively little once Shafali was dismissed.
Against Hong Kong, a 193-run total and India’s bowling attack provided more than enough protection. Against stronger opponents deeper in the tournament, India may not want to depend quite so heavily on one extraordinary innings.
That makes the timing of Mandhana’s record-breaking form especially significant.
India’s next Group A match is against Pakistan on September 5 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, according to the tournament schedule. The semi-finals are scheduled for September 10 and 11, with the final on September 13.
Mandhana’s Bigger Record May Still Be Ahead
Perhaps the most striking part of Mandhana’s new record is not the number she has already reached.
It is how much further that number could move.
Mithali Raj’s 10,868 had been the finishing total of a completed international career. Mandhana’s 10,880 is different: it belongs to an active 30-year-old player still operating near the top level of international cricket.
Every innings from here can extend the benchmark.
Her 124 against Hong Kong therefore may eventually be remembered as much more than the night she overtook Mithali Raj.
It could be the night women’s cricket’s all-time run-scoring record stopped looking like a finishing line — and started becoming a moving target.
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