Sep 22: India vice-captain Smriti Mandhana reached another historic milestone on Tuesday, becoming the first woman cricketer to complete 11,000 international runs during the Asian Games final against Sri Lanka at Korogi Sports Park.
Mandhana needed only 13 runs to reach the landmark and wasted little time getting there after India opted to bat first. She opened her innings with two boundaries in the first over before a six in the third over took her past the 11,000-run mark.
The achievement adds another major chapter to Mandhana’s already distinguished international career.
Another major record for Mandhana
Mandhana came into the final with 10,987 international runs, including 788 in Tests, 5,411 in ODIs and 4,788 in T20Is.
She had only recently become the highest run-scorer in women’s international cricket across all three formats, surpassing former India captain Mithali Raj’s previous tally of 10,868 runs during the Asia Cup.
Her latest milestone further underlines her consistency and longevity across formats.
Mandhana has also recently become the highest run-scorer in T20I cricket across both men’s and women’s international cricket. She overtook former New Zealand star Suzie Bates during India’s Asian Games semifinal against Bangladesh.
Milestone arrives on a big stage
The 11,000-run landmark came during an important match for India, with the team seeking to defend the women’s cricket gold medal won at the 2023 Asian Games.
India reached the final after defeating Japan in the quarterfinal and Bangladesh in the semifinal. Sri Lanka secured their place in the gold-medal match after victories over Malaysia and Pakistan.
The final also marked another meeting between the two sides after their encounters at the 2023 Asian Games and the Women’s Asia Cup, where India emerged victorious.
Sri Lanka entered the contest looking for their first Asian Games gold medal after winning bronze in 2014 and silver in 2022.
A milestone that reflects consistency
Mandhana’s latest record is significant not only because of the number attached to it, but also because it spans all three formats of international cricket.
From the longer format of Tests to the pace of ODIs and T20Is, she has remained an important part of India’s batting line-up.
Her achievement also comes at a time when women’s cricket continues to grow in visibility and competitiveness, with players establishing long international careers and reaching milestones that were once considered distant.
For Indian cricket, Mandhana’s 11,000-run achievement adds another memorable moment to the Asian Games campaign and further marks her place among the leading performers in the women’s game.
