Smriti Mandhana Poised to Make History in T20 Series Against Zimbabwe

Raipur, October 16 (Daily Kiran) : The Indian women’s cricket team is set to begin a three-match T20 series against Zimbabwe in Raipur on Friday. This series marks Smriti Mandhana‘s official debut as the full-time captain of the team. Notably, she has the chance to achieve a significant milestone in international T20 cricket.

If Mandhana scores 133 runs during the series, she will become the first batter—male or female—to reach 5,000 runs in international T20 matches. As an opening batter in excellent form, she is well-positioned to accomplish this feat against Zimbabwe.

Currently, Mandhana ranks as the top scorer in international women’s T20 cricket. Since her debut in 2013, she has played 179 matches and scored 4,867 runs in 172 innings, including two centuries and 37 half-centuries. New Zealand‘s Suzie Bates follows her in the rankings, having amassed 4,758 runs in 186 matches. Third place is held by Harmanpreet Kaur, who recently stepped down from captaincy, with 4,346 runs in 210 matches.

In the men’s T20 category, the record for the most runs is held by Pakistan’s Babar Azam, who has scored 4,596 runs in 145 matches. England’s Jos Buttler and India’s Rohit Sharma follow him, with 4,384 and 4,231 runs, respectively. Both Rohit and Virat Kohli, who has 4,188 runs, have retired from international T20s, leaving Buttler and Kohli opportunities to enhance their records.

As the series unfolds, all eyes will be on Smriti Mandhana as she aims to etch her name in the annals of cricket history.