 "Smriti Mandhana is in sensational form, scoring a hundred and three fifties in her last four matches. Image: BCCI")
India batter Smriti Mandhana created multiple batting records on Thursday as she smashed her fourth consecutive fifty-plus score and a third consecutive half-century in the third and final T20I against West Indies on Thursday at the Dr DY Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai.
By scoring 77 in the third T20, after smashing 54 and 52 in the last two matches, Mandhana broke Suzie Bates’ record of most fifty-plus scores in women’s T20Is. Mandhana now has 30 fifty-plus scores to her name in T20Is while Bates held the record with 29 fifty-plus scores.
Despite opener Uma Chetry getting out on a duck, Mandhana’s 77 helped India to score a mammoth 217/4 as Richa Ghosh smashed 54. This is India’s highest T20I total.
Ghosh took just 18 balls to complete her fifty which is the joint-fastest in women’s T20Is along with New Zealand’s Sophie Devine and Australia’s Phoebe Litchfield.
The three-match series is currently tied at 1-1.
Most fifty-plus scores in Women’s T20Is
| Rank | Player Name | Team | Matches | 50+ Scores | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Smriti Mandhana | India | 149 | 30 | 29.3 |
| 2 | Suzie Bates | New Zealand | 171 | 29 | 29.38 |
| 3 | Beth Mooney | Australia | 106 | 25 | 39.5 |
| 4 | Stafanie Taylor | West Indies | 125 | 22 | 35.31 |
| 5 | Sophie Devine | New Zealand | 143 | 22 | 28.25 |
| 6 | Dani Wyatt | England | 167 | 20 | 23.64 |
| 7 | Alyssa Healy | Australia | 162 | 18 | 25.45 |
| 8 | Mithali Raj | India | 89 | 17 | 37.52 |
| 9 | Hayley Matthews | West Indies | 104 | 17 | 26.2 |
| 10 | Meg Lanning | Australia | 132 | 17 | 36.61 |
Mandhana is also the second Indian batter after the great Mithali Raj to score three consecutive fifties in T20Is.
The 28-year-old also overtook Sri Lankan captain Chamari Athapaththu to set the record for most runs in a calendar year in women’s T20Is. Athapaththu led the table by scoring 720 runs in 21 matches in 2024 at a strike rate of 126.76. Mandhana needed 34 runs in the third T20I against West Indies to equal Athapaththu, but with a knock of 77, she now leads the list with 763 runs from 23 matches with a strike rate of 126.53.
Most runs in a calendar year in Women’s T20Is
| Rank | Player Name | Team | Matches | Runs | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Smriti Mandhana | India | 23 | 743 | 2024 |
| 2 | Chamari Athapaththu | Sri Lanka | 21 | 720 | 2024 |
| 3 | Esha Oza | UAE | 20 | 711 | 2024 |
| 4 | Hayley Matthews | West Indies | 14 | 700 | 2023 |
| 5 | Kavisha Egodage | UAE | 27 | 696 | 2022 |
| 6 | Esha Oza | UAE | 25 | 675 | 2022 |
| 7 | Laura Wolvaardt | South Africa | 19 | 673 | 2024 |
| 8 | Suzie Bates | New Zealand | 17 | 670 | 2018 |
| 9 | Harmanpreet Kaur | India | 25 | 663 | 2018 |
| 10 | Theertha Satish | UAE | 28 | 658 | 2022 |
The West Indies series has been record-breaking for Mandhana overall. She surpassed Harmanpreet Kaur (3589) to become India’s highest run-getter in women’s T20Is and second overall, behind Bates (4584 runs).
Mandhana recently etched her name in women’s ODI history by scoring a century in the third match of the series against Australia in Perth. This marked her fourth ODI century of 2024 as she became the first-ever batter in women’s ODIs to accomplish such a feat in a calendar year. Additionally, she surpassed Mithali Raj to hold the record for the most centuries by an Indian in the format.