Smriti Mandhana Creates History: Becomes No.1 In Women's Cricket

India’s opener, Smriti Mandhana, broke a world record with an outstanding performance in the first ODI against West Indies in Vadodara. She was in great form but fell just short of a well-deserved century.

This innings also took her total international cricket runs in 2024 to 1,600, a huge milestone. With it, the left-hander overtook South Africa’s Laura Wolvaardt, who has scored 1,593 runs this year.

Smriti Mandhana Creates History: Becomes No.1 In Women's Cricket

Smriti Mandhana Sets New Standards in Women’s Cricket

Smriti Mandhana has achieved a remarkable milestone by scoring 1,602 runs in international cricket in 2024, setting a new record for the most runs by any batter in women’s international cricket within a single calendar year.

This accomplishment highlights her exceptional consistency, as she has now appeared three times among the top five run-scorers in a calendar year. Previously, she amassed significant runs in both 2018 and 2022, underscoring her sustained excellence at the international level.

Smriti Mandhana Creates History: Becomes No.1 In Women's Cricket

Other notable players who have featured in this elite list include South Africa’s Laura Wolvaardt and England’s Nat Sciver-Brunt, both renowned for their batting prowess.

With two more ODIs left this year against West Indies, Smriti Mandhana is expected to add even more runs to her impressive total. Over the years, she has been a reliable performer at the top of the order for India.

Before this series, Mandhana had a fantastic run against South Africa, scoring 343 runs in three ODIs. She averaged 114.33 with a strike rate of 103.93, hitting two centuries and a half-century in the series.

Most international runs in a year in women’s cricket

Smriti Mandhana (India)- 1602 runs in 2024
Laura Wolvaardt (South Africa) – 1593 runs in 2024
Nat Sciver-Brunt (England) – 1346 runs in 2022
Smriti Mandhana (India) – 1291 runs in 2018
Smriti Mandhana (India) – 1290 runs in 2022

West Indies chose to field on a good pitch in Vadodara. India started cautiously, with debutant Pratika Rawal scoring 40 and partnering with Smriti Mandhana, who played a stunning knock before falling short of a century.

Captain Harmanpreet Kaur added a quick 34, while late cameos from Richa Ghosh and Jemimah Rodrigues helped India reach 314-9 in 50 overs.

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