Star Indian batter Smriti Mandhana etched her name in the record books by becoming the fastest Indian to reach 4000 runs in ODI cricket.
Mandhana achieved the milestone during the first ODI against Ireland in Rajkot, scoring 41 runs off 29 deliveries in a successful run chase.
Mandhana reached the landmark in just 95 innings, surpassing the previous record held by former India captain Mithali Raj. She also became the first Indian woman to achieve this feat in fewer than 100 innings.
Globally, Mandhana is now the third-fastest woman to cross the 4000-run mark in ODIs, trailing only Belinda Clark (86 innings) and Meg Lanning (89 innings).
In the match, Ireland batted first and posted a competitive total of 238 runs. India’s response was spearheaded by Pratika Rawal, who scored a brilliant 89, and Tejal Hasabnis, who contributed an unbeaten 53, guiding the team to a six-wicket victory.
Speaking after the match, skipper Smriti Mandhana praised the bowlers for their exceptional performance on a flat wicket.
She also highlighted areas for improvement in fielding and stressed the importance of maintaining routines as the team prepares for upcoming challenges.
“To bowl on these sorts of wickets, which have nothing in it, the bowlers did a really good job. Fielding is something we can get better at. Having good conversations in the last two or three days helped… the way they executed the slower balls and bouncers. Every game here on, we need to execute. Some things we need to do behind the scenes. Routine-wise, every player has to follow it for the next seven-eight months,” Mandhana said during the post-match presentation.
With this milestone, Mandhana continues to solidify her reputation as one of India’s premier batters and a key player in women’s cricket globally.