Indian vice-captain Smriti Mandhana smashed a record-breaking 124 runs to power the Indian women’s cricket team into the semi-finals of the Women’s Asia Cup 2026. India defeated Hong Kong by 137 runs in their Group A match on 3rd September, at the Dubai International Stadium after scoring 193 for 5 and bowling Hong Kong out for 56.
Mandhana’s sensational 64-ball innings broke multiple world and tournament records, including Mithali Raj’s record for the most runs in women’s international cricket.
India’s Dominant Batting Performance
Hong Kong won the toss and chose to field. Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma shared a 74-run partnership for the first wicket. Verma scored a quick-fire 28 runs off 17 balls, hitting three boundaries and two sixes.
Following Verma’s dismissal, Mandhana reached her half-century off 40 deliveries. She then increased her tempo, bringing up her century in just 57 deliveries. Mandhana eventually fell in the final over when a mix-up with Bharti Fulmali ran her out. Her spectacular 124 runs came from 64 balls at a strike rate of 193.75, featuring 14 fours and seven sixes.
Debutant Pratika Rawal, playing in her first T20 international series, scored 10 runs off 12 balls. Joyleen Kaur dismissed Rawal, who hit a catch to cover. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur scored 10 runs off nine balls before losing her wicket to a late aerial shot. Wicketkeeper Richa Ghosh also fell for 11 runs off 13 balls while attempting a big hit.
For Hong Kong, Marina Lamplough led the bowling attack with two wickets. Joyleen Kaur and Ruchitha Venkatesh took one wicket each. Mandhana’s masterclass still enabled India to post a formidable total of 193 for five in their allotted 20 overs.
In the second innings, India bowled Hong Kong out for 56 runs in 16.2 overs, which secured a massive 137-run victory.
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Mandhana Rewrites Cricket Record Books
Mandhana became the first Indian woman to score two T20 international centuries. Her previous century came against England in Nottingham last year, where she scored 112 runs off 62 balls. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur remains the only other Indian woman to score a T20 international century.
Second, she registered the highest individual score in the history of the Women’s Asia Cup in the T20 international format. She surpassed Sri Lanka’s Chamari Athapaththu, who scored an unbeaten 119 runs against Malaysia in 2024.
Third, Mandhana became the leading century-maker in women’s international cricket across all formats. This knock marked the 18th international century of her career. She surpassed Australian legend Mag Lanning for most hundreds records.
Fourth, Mandhana became the highest run-scorer in women’s international cricket across all formats. She has now scored 10,880 international runs in 303 innings. The previous record holder was former Indian captain Mithali Raj, who scored 10,868 runs in 333 innings.
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Official Statements and Reactions
Mandhana was rather surprised when she learned about her record-breaking achievements after the match.
🏆♥️ pic.twitter.com/Ve64wMBPlV
— Smriti Mandhana (@mandhana_smriti) March 18, 2024
“I didn’t know all of this happened,” Mandhana said. “It’s really hard for me to play slower bowlers, but credit to them. They were really disciplined in the powerplay. They bowled pretty well, and the kind of energy they showed was something which we all can learn from. Having said that, I just love batting, and I’m happy that I could contribute”.
She also commented on her batting form: “There are days where you hit balls from the stumps as well. There are days where you don’t, and there are days where you edge one from the fourth or fifth stump”.
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