Former Indian cricketer Mithali Raj left a special message for ace batter Smriti Mandhana, after the latter went past her to become the leading run-scorer in women’s international cricket, thanks to a 124-run knock against Hong Kong China on Thursday at the Asia Cup.
Mandhana went past Australia legend Meg Lanning for the most hundreds in Women’s Internationals, bringing up her 18th century across formats in the 17th over.
In the next over, Mandhana launched two sixes straight down the ground to go past Mithali’s tally of 10,868 runs and move into the top spot on the leading run-scorers’ chart.
As is often the case, Mandhana found gaps all around the ground and looked imperious when clearing the ropes straight over the bowler’s head.
“Well deserved,
@mandhana_smriti! I have watched you grow from a young player into one of the finest batters India has produced,” Mithali tweeted on Thursday night.
Well deserved, @mandhana_smriti ! I’ve watched you grow from a young player into one of the finest batters India has produced. To see you go past my record and become the highest run-scorer in international cricket is a moment I’m genuinely proud of. Here’s to many more runs and…
— Mithali Raj (@M_Raj03) September 3, 2026
Despite the limitations of the Hong Kong bowling attack, Mandhana made batting look effortless on a track where batters needed time to settle in. Her opening partner, Shafali Verma, also took her time early on before cutting loose in the final over of the powerplay, which yielded 22 runs.
Hong Kong attempted to tie Mandhana down with a wide line, but the experienced India opener remained unfazed by the tactic.
“I did not know all of this happened. It is really hard for me to play slower bowlers, but credit to them. They were really disciplined in the powerplay. They bowled pretty well and the kind of energy they showed was something which we all can learn from,” Mandhana said at the innings break.
