'Didn't know I broke the record' - Smriti Mandhana after going past Mithali Raj as top run-getter in women's cricket

Mandhana Rewrites the Record Books

Smriti Mandhana has officially become the highest runscorer in women's international cricket across all formats, edging out legend Mithali Raj. She crossed the line during the Women's Asia Cup 2026 Group A clash vs Hong Kong at Dubai, finishing on 10,880 runs to surpass Raj's 10,868.

The milestone arrived on the back of a brutal 124 off 64 balls — 14 fours, 7 sixes, including a hat-trick of maximums in the 18th over off Ruchitha Venkatesh. She didn't even know she'd broken the record mid-innings. "Till I was batting, I didn't know what record I had broken," she admitted postmatch. Respect to Mithali _di_ — the benchmark she grew up watching.

This was only her 2nd T20I ton (first was 112 vs England in 2025) and now stands as the highest individual score in Women's T20 Asia Cup history, breaking Chamari Athapaththu's 119* from 2024.

The Century Race

Her 18th international century moves her past Meg Lanning's 17 — making her the leading centurymaker in women's cricket period. Two of her idols, Lanning and Mithali, both overtaken. Class act.

The Catch

For all the sparkle, India's batting depth is a concern. Shafali Verma's 28 was next best, and they lost 8 wickets for 46 in their opener. The middle order needs to fire. Next up: the big one vs Pakistan on Sat, Sept 5. Mandhana's riding massive confidence into that rivalry clash.

Source: Crictracker