Smriti Mandhana In Red-Hot Form, Raises Alarm For Pakistan Ahead Of India Clash After Record Century

Smriti Mandhana sent a strong warning to Pakistan ahead of India's much-awaited Women's Asia Cup clash after producing a record-breaking century against Hong Kong on Thursday. The India vice-captain smashed 124 runs from just 64 balls in Dubai, hitting 14 fours and seven sixes. Her stunning innings helped India post 193/5 and also saw Mandhana break major records in women's international cricket. India will face Pakistan in their next group match on September 5.

Mandhana reached her century in 57 balls and went on to score 124 before being run out in the final over. It was her second T20I century and made her the first Indian woman to score two hundreds in the format. Her first T20I hundred came against England in 2025, when she scored 112.

The century also took Mandhana's tally to 18 hundreds in women's international cricket, moving her ahead of Australia's Meg Lanning and South Africa's Laura Wolvaardt, who have 17 each. Mandhana now has 14 ODI centuries, two Test hundreds and two T20I tons.

Another major record came during the same innings. Mandhana moved past Mithali Raj's tally of 10,868 international runs to become the leading run-scorer in women's international cricket. New Zealand's Suzie Bates is next on the list with 10,740 runs. Mandhana achieved the milestone during her 303rd international innings.

Her 124 is also the highest individual score in Women's T20 Asia Cup history. Mandhana's innings came after India were asked to bat first, with the opener first building the innings before changing gears and attacking the Hong Kong bowlers.

Mandhana also equalled Mithali Raj's record of 93 scores of 50 or more in women's international cricket during the innings. She reached the mark with her half-century before going on to produce one of the biggest knocks of her T20I career.

The timing of Mandhana's performance makes it even more important for India. Pakistan are India's next opponents in the Women's Asia Cup as the two teams are set to meet in Dubai on September 5. India had already started the tournament with a 94-run win over Thailand before facing Hong Kong.

With Mandhana now in record-breaking form, Pakistan will have to deal with an India opener coming into the high-profile clash after one of the most dominant innings of the tournament so far.