Indian women's cricket vice-captain Smriti Mandhana entered an exclusive batting club on Sunday, achieving a monumental career milestone. The stylish left-handed opener became only the second Indian woman after the legendary Mithali Raj to cross the landmark of 10,000 runs in international cricket.
A Milestone Innings in Thiruvananthapuram
The historic moment unfolded during the fourth T20 International against Sri Lanka at the Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram. Mandhana, who needed 27 runs to reach the figure, achieved it in a blistering fashion, taking just 20 balls to get there. She didn't stop there, powering her way to a magnificent 80 runs off 48 deliveries. Her innings was studded with 11 fours and three sixes, coming at a strike rate of 170.2, and marked her 32nd fifty in international cricket.
This achievement makes her the fastest Indian woman ever to reach the 10,000-run mark across all formats. She now finds herself in the company of New Zealand's Suzie Bates and former England captain Charlotte Edwards as the only other women to have achieved this incredible feat.
Breaking Records and Chasing Legends
Mandhana's career statistics are a testament to her consistency and class. She has scored 629 runs in 7 Tests, 5,322 runs in 117 ODIs, and a significant tally in T20Is. With this form, she is well within sight of Mithali Raj's all-time Indian record of 10,868 international runs.
This series has been particularly prolific for the opener. In the series opener against Sri Lanka in Visakhapatnam, she had already created T20I history by becoming the first Indian and second woman overall after Suzie Bates to reach 4,000 runs in Women's T20Is.
Her credentials as a big-match player are also impeccable. She was a cornerstone of India's campaign in the victorious Women's ODI World Cup, amassing 434 runs in nine innings at an average of 54.25. The year 2025 was spectacular for her, as she finished as the highest run-scorer in ODIs globally, with 1,362 runs from 23 innings, including five centuries and five fifties. She also holds the unique distinction of being the first Indian woman to score a century in all three formats of the game.
From National Duty to WPL Leadership
Following the conclusion of the five-match T20I series on December 30, Mandhana's focus will shift to franchise cricket. She is set to lead the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the 2026 Women's Premier League (WPL), which begins on January 9. In a blockbuster opening match, her RCB side will take on Harmanpreet Kaur's Mumbai Indians at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.
Smriti Mandhana's journey, which began with her India debut against Bangladesh in April 2013, continues to scale new heights. Her latest achievement of 10,000 international runs cements her status as one of the modern greats of women's cricket and a true icon for aspiring cricketers in India and beyond.
