5000‑Run Goal Elevates Mandhana to Top Spot in Women’s T20 History

The India women’s cricket team begins a three‑match T20 series against Zimbabwe in Raipur on Friday, with Smriti Mandhana taking charge as full‑time captain. Achieving 133 runs in the series would push her career total to 5,000 international T20 runs – a record that no male or female player has ever set.

Mandhana currently sits at the summit of the women’s T20I leaderboard, having amassed 4,867 runs in 172 innings, highlighted by two centuries and 37 half‑centuries. Behind her are New Zealand’s Suzie Bates (4,758 runs) and former India skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (4,346 runs). In the men’s game, the leading run‑getter is Pakistan’s Babar Azam with 4,596 runs, followed by England’s Jos Buttler (4,384 runs) and India’s Rohit Sharma (4,231 runs).

With top male players such as Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli no longer featuring in T20 Internationals, the opportunity for new benchmarks is wide open. Mandhana’s quest in the Zimbabwe series could see her become the first cricketer worldwide to cross the 5,000‑run barrier in the shortest format.