New Delhi: Smriti Mandhana maintained her incredible form with an explosive 77 off just 43 balls in the third T20I between India and the West Indies. In doing so, she set two major world records. The stand-in captain notched her third consecutive half-century of the series, leading India to a commanding total of 217 runs.
With Harmanpreet Kaur absent, Smriti Mandhana captained the team and made history in the series decider against the West Indies on Thursday (December 19) at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai. She continued her stellar form, leaving a lasting impact on the match.
After the West Indies won the toss and elected to bowl first, Mandhana provided India with a blazing start, helping the Women in Blue smashed 61 runs in the powerplay. The stand-in captain showcased her aggression by hitting boundaries on seven consecutive balls, facing both Chinelle Henry and Deandra Dottin.
Mandhana reached her half-century in a rapid 27 balls, breaking a long-standing world record held by Suzie Bates. She went on to score 77 runs off 47 balls before being dismissed by Dottin, as India set an imposing total of 217.
Mandhana’s half-century marked the 30th of her career in T20Is, making her the record-holder for the most 50+ scores by a woman cricketer in the shortest format. Suzie Bates previously held the record with 29 such scores, which included 28 half-centuries and one century.
Most 50+ Scores By A Women’s Cricketer In T20Is
Smriti Mandhana (India) 30
Suzie Bates (New Zealand) 29
Beth Mooney (Australia) 25
Stefanie Taylor (Wes Indies) 22
Sophie Devine (New Zealand) 22
Mandhana also set another remarkable world record by becoming the player with the most Women’s T20I runs in a single calendar year. She surpassed the previous record held by legendary Sri Lankan captain Chamari Athapaththu, which was also set in 2024. Mandhana is now only the fourth woman in history to score over 700 runs in a year.
Mandhana has had a dream year with the bat across all formats and is a strong contender for the Women’s T20I Cricketer of the Year award. In the ongoing series, she scored a half-century in all three matches, amassing 193 runs at an average of 64.33.
In 2024, Smriti Mandhana leads the way with an impressive 763 runs in 21 innings, followed closely by Chamari Athapaththu from Sri Lanka, who scored 720 runs in the same number of innings. Er Oza from the UAE also had a stellar year in 2024, amassing 711 runs in 20 innings. Haley Matthews from the West Indies scored 700 runs in 14 innings in 2023, while Kavisha Egodage from the UAE made 695 runs in 25 innings in 2022.
In the ODI format, Mandhana registered four centuries, the most by any women’s cricketer in a single year. She also scored a century against South Africa in India’s only Test match of 2024. Overall, Mandhana has accumulated 599 runs in 10 ODIs this year, with an impressive average of 59.90.
