Photo via Hindustan Times

Smriti Mandhana surpasses Suzie Bates to make the T20 batting crown her own; another record bites the dust

India vice-captain Smriti Mandhana etched her name into the history books during the Asian Games 2026 semi-final against Bangladesh by becoming the leading run-scorer in women's T20 international cricket. Needing just seven runs to eclipse New Zealand veteran Suzie Bates, the left-handed batter accomplished the milestone during the third over by striking back-to-back boundaries against Marufa Akter.

In the process, she also became the first Indian player to reach the milestone of one hundred sixes in the format before eventually falling for 37 runs from 19 deliveries. Earlier in the contest, Indian skipper Harmanpreet Kaur won the coin toss and elected to bat first as the squad continued its campaign to defend the gold medal won at the previous edition of the Games.