Star India opener Smriti Mandhana broke two world records in the previous encounter against Hong Kong, China in the ongoing Asia Cup. First, she surpassed Meg Lanning to become the woman with the most centuries in international cricket and later, the 30-year-old moved ahead of her role model . She made 124 runs in the match and, based on that, India registered a comfortable 137-run win.
Next up, the Harmanpreet Kaur-led side will face arch-rivals Pakistan. Even in that game, Smriti will have the opportunity to register another world record. Currently, she has amassed 4681 runs in T20Is and is only 74 runs behind New Zealand’s Suzie Bates, who holds the top post 4758 runs to her name in the format. Thus, if Smriti manages to score 74 or more runs against Pakistan on Saturday, September 5, she will become the leading run-scorer in T20Is.
Most runs in women’s T20Is:
| Player | Runs | Nationality |
| Suzie Bates | 4758 | New Zealand |
| Smriti Mandhana | 4681 | India |
| Harmanpreet Kaur | 4231 | India |
| Chamari Athapaththu | 4092 | Sri Lanka |
| Sophie Devine | 3817 | New Zealand |
Batting concerns for India
Even though India managed to win both their games so far in the Asia Cup, there are concerns regarding the batting department. In the last match against Hong Kong, Smriti dominated the proceedings, but she barely had any support from the other end. Shafali Verma played some good shots in the powerplay, but once she departed for 28 runs, it was all Smriti for India.
Even in the opening game against Thailand, the middle order failed to contribute. Courtesy of Shafali’s 64, India managed to post 159 runs on the board. Smriti contributed 19, while Pratika Rawal made 22. Six of the players scored in single digits as the team lost nine wickets while batting first.
The team management certainly needs to work to fix the issue. The absence of Jemimah Rodrigues has hurt the team as there’s a lack of balance. Harmanpreet and Richa Ghosh are currently out of form too, which can backfire on the side at any moment. Bharti Fulmali has struggled to live up to her potential as well.