India vice-captain Smriti Mandhana etched her name into the record books on Friday, becoming India’s leading run-scorer in Women’s T20 Internationals during the opening match of the five-match series against South Africa at Kingsmead.
Mandhana entered the contest tied with former India men’s T20I captain Rohit Sharma on 4,231 runs and moved past the milestone with a brief 13-run contribution off 14 deliveries. She now stands at 4,244 runs from 155 innings (161 matches), averaging 30.31 with a strike rate of 124.38. Her record includes one century and 33 half-centuries, underscoring her consistency at the top of the order.
With this achievement, Mandhana also becomes the second-highest run-scorer in Women’s T20I history, behind New Zealand’s Suzie Bates, who leads the charts with 4,717 runs in 175 innings. In the men’s game, Pakistan’s Babar Azam holds the overall T20I record with 4,596 runs from 136 innings.
Despite Mandhana’s milestone, India fell short in the series opener as South Africa secured a six-wicket victory while chasing 158. Captain Laura Wolvaardt anchored the chase with a composed 51, while Annerie Dercksen’s unbeaten 44 guided the hosts home.
Earlier, India posted 157/7, with skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (47*) leading the effort alongside useful contributions from Shafali Verma (34) and Jemimah Rodrigues (36). However, a lack of acceleration in the closing overs proved costly.
South Africa’s bowling attack was led by Ayabonga Khaka (3/16), with support from Tumi Sekhukhune (2/27) and Nonkululeko Mlaba (1/30).
The second T20I will be played at the same venue on Sunday.
(With inputs from ANI)