Superstar batter Smriti Mandhana scripted history as she became the first Indian woman batter to cross the 4,000-run mark in T20 Internationals. Entering the T20I series opener against Sri Lanka in Visakhapatnam just 18 runs short of the record, the 29-year-old southpaw reached the landmark with a signature boundary in the fifth over. Her steady start provided the perfect platform for India as they chased a modest target of 122 at the ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium.
Smriti Mandhana, first Indian woman to amass 4000 T20I runs
This towering feat further solidifies Mandhana’s status as one of the game's greatest, placing her second on the all-time list of run-scorers in women's T20Is. She now trails only New Zealand’s Suzie Bates, who leads the charts with 4,716 runs. With several prime years still ahead of her, Mandhana is widely expected to eventually overtake Bates and claim the world record for herself.
Batters with most runs in women's T20Is:
| Batters | Runs |
| Suzie Bates | 4716 |
| Smriti Mandhana | 4000* |
| Harmanpreet Kaur | 3654 |
| Chamari Athapaththu | 3473 |
| Sophie Devine | 3431 |
India bowl out Sri Lanka for 121/6
After opting to bowl first, India exerted significant pressure on the Sri Lankan lineup throughout the opening innings. The visitors found it incredibly difficult to rotate the strike or find the boundary, appearing stifled despite several lapses in India's fielding and a few dropped catches. Amidst this dominant bowling performance, debutant Vaishnavi Sharma enjoyed a standout introduction to international cricket, maintaining exceptional control and conceding a mere 16 runs across her four-over spell.
The wicket-taking responsibilities were shared among Kranti Goud, Deepti Sharma, and Shree Charani, who each claimed a scalp to restrict Sri Lanka to a total of 121 runs. Under the leadership of Chamari Athapaththu, the side struggled to find any rhythm on a surface that, while slightly slow, did not appear to have significant demons.
India's women Playing XI:
Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur(c), Richa Ghosh(w), Deepti Sharma, Amanjot Kaur, Arundhati Reddy, Vaishnavi Sharma, Kranti Gaud, Shree Charani
Sri Lanka's women Playing XI:
Vishmi Gunaratne, Chamari Athapaththu(c), Hasini Perera, Harshitha Samarawickrama, Nilakshi de Silva, Kaushani Nuthyangana(w), Kavisha Dilhari, Malki Madara, Inoka Ranaweera, Kawya Kavindi, Shashini Gimhani