Smriti Mandhana became the first woman to score 11,000 international runs

Smriti Mandhana (Pic credit: BCCI Women) NEW DELHI: Smriti Mandhana on Tuesday added another milestone to her extraordinary career by becoming the first cricketer to complete 11,000 runs in international cricket during India’s Asian Games gold medal final against Sri Lanka at the Korogi Sports Park in Aichi-Nagoya.Entering the final over, Mandhana needed just 13 runs to reach the milestone. She has amassed 10,987 runs in Tests, ODIs and T20Is, including 788 in Tests, 5,411 in ODIs and 4,788 in T20Is. Wasting no time to get to the historic mark after India opted to bat first.India’s vice-captain started with two boundaries in the opener before launching a six in the third to complete 11,000 international runs. The milestone added another chapter to a remarkable streak of record-breaking performances for the left-hander.Mandhana only recently took the record for most runs in women’s international cricket across formats from former Indian captain Mithali Raj. She surpassed Raj’s tally of 10,868 runs with a stunning 124 against Hong Kong in the Women’s Asia Cup earlier this month, taking her total to 10,880 at the time.

From Mithali Raj’s record to the 11,000-run landmark

The 30-year-old continued to rewrite the record books in the shortest format as well. During India’s Asian Games semi-final against Bangladesh, Mandhana surpassed New Zealand great Suzie Bates to become the leading run-scorer in the women’s T20Is.She reached the T20I milestone in 37 off 19 balls in India’s 114-run win over Bangladesh. At that point, Mandhana moved to 4,788 T20I runs, ahead of Bates’ 4,758.Her latest landmark in the Asian Games final came just two weeks after she established herself as the top run-scorer in women’s international cricket. Her 124 against Hong Kong was also her 18th international century, joining her past Meg Lanning and Laura Wolvaardt for the most hundreds in women’s international cricket at the time.Mandhana’s rapid accumulation of milestones made the Asian Games a particularly memorable tournament for her. She also became the first Indian woman to hit 100 sixes in T20Is during the semi-final against Bangladesh.

Mandhana and Shafali extended the record partnership

Mandhana also reached her half-century in the gold medal clash off just 31 balls, continuing her aggressive start alongside Shafali Verma.The pair’s last stand further extended their record as the most prolific partnership in women’s T20I cricket. Their total partnership runs have crossed 4,000, comfortably ahead of UAE’s Esha Oz and Theertha Satish, who are second on the list with 2,949 runs.Their partnership in the final also crossed another landmark, with Mandhana and Shafali adding 99 runs against Sri Lanka on Tuesday.India entered the final unchanged after beating Japan by eight wickets in the quarter-final and Bangladesh by 114 runs in the semi-final. Sri Lanka also retained the same XI after defeating Malaysia and Pakistan to reach the gold medal match. India’s semi-final win was powered by Shafali’s unbeaten 100 off 49 balls.The final is a rematch of the 2023 Asian Games gold medal match and also the Women’s Asian Cup final earlier this month, both won by India. India are defending their Asian Games title after winning gold in their only previous appearance in women’s cricket in 2023.Sri Lanka, meanwhile, are aiming for their first Asian Games gold after winning bronze in 2014 and silver in 2022. Mandhana’s 11,000-run milestone added another historic undertone to the gold medal showdown.