Smriti Mandhana produced one of the greatest innings of her international career when she smashed 124 off just 64 balls against Hong Kong China in the Women’s Asia Cup 2026 in Dubai.
The India opener struck 14 fours and seven sixes, helping India reach 193/5 before Hong Kong were dismissed for 56. India won by 137 runs and secured a semi-final berth.
But the scale of Mandhana’s achievement went far beyond the match result.
Her 124 rewrote record books at international, Indian and Women’s Asia Cup level. Contemporary statistical coverage identified seven notable records or milestones from the innings.
The 7 Records Smriti Mandhana Broke With Her 124
1. Most Runs in Women’s International Cricket
The biggest record of the night belonged to former India captain Mithali Raj.
Before the match, Mandhana had 10,756 international runs and needed 113 to overtake Raj’s career tally of 10,868 runs.
Mandhana went past that landmark during her 124 and finished the innings with 10,880 international runs, making her the highest run-scorer in women’s international cricket across Tests, ODIs and T20Is combined.
Most International Runs in Women’s Cricket After Mandhana’s 124
| Player | International Runs |
|---|---|
| Smriti Mandhana | 10,880 |
| Mithali Raj | 10,868 |
| Suzie Bates | 10,740 |
| Charlotte Edwards | 10,273 |
| Stafanie Taylor | 10,007 |
Mandhana finished the Hong Kong match 12 runs ahead of Mithali Raj.
2. Most Centuries in Women’s International Cricket
Mandhana’s hundred was also her 18th international century across formats.
That moved her ahead of former Australia captain Meg Lanning and South Africa’s Laura Wolvaardt, who were on 17 international centuries each at the time.
Her 18 centuries comprised:
- 2 Test centuries
- 14 ODI centuries
- 2 T20I centuries
That made Mandhana the outright leader for the most centuries in women’s international cricket.
Most International Centuries in Women’s Cricket
| Player | Centuries |
|---|---|
| Smriti Mandhana | 18 |
| Meg Lanning | 17 |
| Laura Wolvaardt | 17 |
| Hayley Matthews | 15 |
| Suzie Bates | 14 |
This made the Hong Kong century particularly historic: in the same innings, Mandhana became both the leading run-scorer and leading century-maker in women’s international cricket.
3. Highest Individual Score by an Indian Woman in T20Is
Mandhana’s 124 also became the highest individual score by an Indian batter in women’s T20 internationals.
It was Mandhana’s career-best T20I score and represented another major milestone in her development as one of India’s most destructive short-format batters.
The innings came from only 64 deliveries at a strike rate of 193.75.
4. Highest Individual Score in Women’s T20 Asia Cup History
The record-breaking night extended to the tournament itself.
Mandhana’s 124 against Hong Kong became the highest individual score in Women’s T20 Asia Cup history.
She reached her century from 57 deliveries before accelerating further during the closing stages of the innings.
Her final score:
124 runs | 64 balls | 14 fours | 7 sixes | Strike rate 193.75
That established a new benchmark for individual batting performances in the Women's T20 Asia Cup.
5. Most T20I Sixes for India Women
Mandhana’s seven sixes also helped her break another Indian record.
She moved past Harmanpreet Kaur to become the player with the most T20I sixes for India Women.
One of the most destructive passages of the innings came in the 18th over, when Mandhana struck three consecutive sixes off Ruchitha Venkatesh.
Those maximums helped transform an already excellent innings into a record-breaking century.
6. First Indian Woman to Score Two T20I Centuries
Mandhana also became the first Indian woman to score multiple T20I centuries.
She had registered her maiden T20I hundred in 2025, and the 124 against Hong Kong became her second.
No other Indian woman had previously reached three figures more than once in T20 international cricket.
Mandhana therefore strengthened her position as one of India's most accomplished all-format batters.
7. First Woman With 500+ T20I Runs in Four Calendar Years
One of the less obvious but particularly impressive milestones from the innings concerned Mandhana’s consistency.
She became the first woman to score at least 500 T20I runs in four different calendar years.
Unlike a single-match record, this milestone demonstrates sustained performance across multiple seasons.
It underlines how consistently Mandhana has delivered at the top of India's order in T20 international cricket.
Smriti Mandhana’s Seven Records at a Glance
| # | Record | Achievement |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Most runs in women’s international cricket | 10,880 runs after the innings |
| 2 | Most centuries in women’s international cricket | 18 centuries |
| 3 | Highest T20I score for India Women | 124 |
| 4 | Highest individual score in Women’s T20 Asia Cup | 124 |
| 5 | Most T20I sixes for India Women | Passed Harmanpreet Kaur |
| 6 | First Indian woman with multiple T20I centuries | 2 centuries |
| 7 | First woman with 500+ T20I runs in four calendar years | Historic consistency milestone |
These milestones combine records at three levels: world records, India records and Women’s Asia Cup records.
How Smriti Mandhana Reached 124
Mandhana’s innings was not simply a case of attacking from the first ball.
India added 74 for the opening wicket through Mandhana and Shafali Verma. After Verma was dismissed for 28, India's middle order struggled to make a major contribution.
That made Mandhana’s role increasingly important.
She reached her fifty from 40 deliveries before dramatically increasing the scoring rate. It took her only another 17 deliveries to move from 50 to her century, reaching three figures from 57 balls.
She eventually finished with 124 from 64 deliveries as India posted 193/5.
Mandhana Goes Past Mithali Raj
Perhaps the most emotional record was surpassing Mithali Raj.
Raj finished her international career with 10,868 runs and had long stood as the benchmark for longevity and run-scoring in women’s cricket.
Mandhana admitted after the achievement that she had never imagined surpassing a player she grew up watching. Mithali, meanwhile, publicly congratulated Mandhana on taking over the record.
The significance was even greater because India now occupied the top two positions on the all-time women's international run-scoring list immediately after the innings.
Mandhana Goes Past Meg Lanning for Centuries
The same innings also pushed Mandhana beyond another legend of the women's game.
Meg Lanning had accumulated 17 international hundreds during her career.
Mandhana’s Hong Kong century took her to 18, giving her outright possession of the record for the most international hundreds by a woman at that point.
Achieving the run-scoring and century records during the same innings made her 124 particularly significant in the history of women's cricket.
India Beat Hong Kong by 137 Runs
Mandhana’s records came as part of a dominant Indian victory.
India finished with 193/5 from 20 overs.
Hong Kong China were then dismissed for 56 in 16.2 overs, with Deepti Sharma taking 3/9. Nandani Sharma, Prema Rawat and Shree Charani took two wickets apiece.
India therefore completed a 137-run victory, which also secured their place in the Women’s Asia Cup semi-finals.
Why Mandhana’s 124 Was So Special
Centuries in T20 cricket are already rare. Breaking several major career, national and tournament records in the same innings is considerably rarer.
Mandhana’s 124 simultaneously established her as the leading run-scorer and century-maker in women’s international cricket while setting new benchmarks for India and the Women's T20 Asia Cup.
The innings can therefore be viewed not simply as another T20I hundred but as a landmark moment in the evolution of women’s international batting.
