Smriti Mandhana etched her name further into the record books on Thursday after a stunning century against Hong Kong, China in the Women’s Asia Cup 2026.
The India vice-captain smashed 124 runs to power Harmanpreet Kaur’s side to 193/5 in 20 overs. Her remarkable knock also saw her surpass two legends of women’s cricket — Mithali Raj and Meg Lanning — in major international batting records.
Mandhana moved past Mithali to become the leading run-scorer in women’s internationals. She also overtook former Australia captain Meg Lanning to claim the record for the most international centuries across formats.
Mandhana hails Mithali after breaking record
Mandhana revealed that she was not focused on the records while batting and did not know exactly how many runs she needed to surpass Mithali.
Reflecting on the achievement after India’s emphatic win, Mandhana described it as one of the best days for Indian cricket and paid tribute to Mithali’s influence on her career.
“I mean, till I was batting, I didn’t know what record because I didn’t know what the exact runs needed were or all of that,” Mandhana said after the match.
“Looking back, definitely one of the very best days for Indian cricket, I would say. Of course, Mithali di has been such a legend and a role model,” she added.
Mandhana said she never imagined going past Mithali in the run-scoring tally.
“We’ve all grown up watching her bat. I mean, go past her in the tally of runs, I definitely never imagined to do that. But happy that there are two top Indians at the top,” she said.
Mandhana also surpasses Meg Lanning
Mandhana was equally delighted to move past Lanning in the international centuries tally.
The India star said both Lanning and Mithali were among the cricketers she grew up watching and from whom she tried to learn as a batter.
“Going past the international record of the centuries, 18 is a good number to go past,” Mandhana said.
“Again, I mean two of the legends of women’s cricket, Meg Lanning and Mithali Raj. These are the two people who I have grown up watching a lot of cricket, and I have tried to take a lot of things from them as a batter,” she added.
Mandhana, however, insisted that the milestone was only the beginning.
“So really happy that I could go past them in whatever way, but yeah, again, it’s just a start, I would say,” she said.
India storm into Women’s Asia Cup semi-finals
Mandhana’s century set the tone for a dominant Indian performance against Hong Kong, China.
After posting 193/5, India’s bowlers dismantled the opposition for just 56 runs, securing a massive 137-run victory.
The result also confirmed India’s place in the Women’s Asia Cup semi-finals.
Harmanpreet Kaur’s team will play its final league-stage match against arch-rivals Pakistan on Sunday, with Mandhana’s record-breaking form adding another major talking point ahead of the clash.
