Smriti Mandhana joins Rohit Sharma and Harmanpreet in ELITE list of Indian cricketers

Smriti Mandhana has inscribed her name in golden letters in India’s cricketing history as she became only the third Indian and second Indian woman to play 150 T20 internationals. The milestone came during the second T20I against England on Tuesday (Jul 1) at the County Ground in Bristol. The elegant southpaw batter now joins an elite club that includes Rohit Sharma and Harmanpreet Kaur. What makes this feat even more special is that it came just days after another remarkable achievement by Smriti Mandhana at Trent Bridge.

On Saturday (Jun 28), Mandhana lit up the Nottingham crowd with a blistering knock of 112 runs off just 62 balls. In doing so, she became the first Indian woman to score centuries in all three formats of international cricket (Test, ODI, and T20I). She joined a rare list of Indian cricketers who have achieved this feat, including Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, Suresh Raina and KL Rahul.

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Mandhana smashed 15 fours and three sixes in her century innings before getting out in the final over. Her powerful innings helped India post a massive total of 210/5, which guided India to a dominant 97-run win over England in the first T20I.

In the second T20I, Smriti Mandhana was dismissed for 13 runs; however, a solid 93-run partnership from Jemimah Rodrigues and Amanjot Kaur helped India post 181/6 in 20 overs. In return, England managed 157 in 20 overs, handing India a 24-run win to extend the lead by 2-0 in the five-match series.

Across her 150 matches, Mandhana had scored 3886 runs at an average of 29.89 and a strike rate of 124.31. With 30 half-centuries and one T20I hundred to her name, she is now just 114 runs away from becoming the second player in women’s T20Is to reach 4000 runs, only behind New Zealand’s Suzie Bates.