Post by : Rameen Ariff

Visakhapatnam, October 12, 2025: Indian vice-captain Smriti Mandhana made history on Sunday during India’s high-profile ICC Women’s World Cup group match against Australia, becoming the first woman cricketer to score 1,000 runs in a single calendar year in ODIs.

The 29-year-old opener, known for her elegant left-handed stroke play, also crossed the milestone of 5,000 career runs in women’s ODIs, joining an elite group as the fifth player and only the second Indian, after Mithali Raj, to achieve this remarkable feat.

Mandhana achieved this landmark in just 112 innings and 5,569 balls, making her the youngest and fastest to reach 5,000 runs in women’s ODI history, surpassing Stafanie Taylor (129 innings) and Suzie Bates (6,182 balls).

After a quiet start to the World Cup, Mandhana roared back with authority, scoring 80 runs off 66 balls, including nine boundaries and three sixes. She also shared a 155-run opening partnership with Pratika Rawal, marking the first century opening stand of the tournament.

Mandhana began the day on 982 runs from 17 matches and reached the 1,000-run landmark in the eighth over of the match, targeting Australian spinner Sophie Molineux with a flurry of shots, scoring four, six, and four runs off one over.

This historic feat also allowed Mandhana to surpass Australia’s Belinda Clark, who previously held the record for the most runs in a calendar year with 970 runs in 1997.

Mandhana opened her innings confidently with a boundary off Kim Garth’s first over, and her remarkable display of fluency and precision highlighted her ability to dominate even strong opposition like Australia.

With her record-breaking performance, Smriti Mandhana has firmly cemented her place as one of the greatest women cricketers of her generation, inspiring fans and young players around the world.

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