Daijiworld Media Network - Visakhapatnam

Visakhapatnam, Oct 12: Indian cricket sensation Smriti Mandhana achieved a remarkable milestone on Sunday, becoming the youngest and quickest player to amass 5000 runs in Women’s One Day International (ODI) cricket. She reached this landmark during India’s Women’s World Cup match against Australia at the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium.

At just 29 years old, Mandhana crossed the 5000-run mark in her 112th ODI match by hitting a six off Australia’s Kim Garth in the 21st over, surpassing the previous record held by West Indies’ Stafanie Taylor, who took 129 matches to reach the same feat.

ESPNCricinfo’s statistics now rank Mandhana at the top for the fastest to 5000 runs in Women’s ODIs, followed by Taylor (129 matches), New Zealand’s Suzie Bates (136 matches), India’s Mithali Raj (144 matches), and England’s Charlotte Edwards (156 matches).

During her innings on Sunday, Mandhana scored a brilliant 80 runs from 66 deliveries, including nine boundaries and three sixes, before being dismissed at deep midwicket by Sophie Molineux. She began the innings cautiously but shifted gears after reaching her half-century off 46 balls, displaying aggressive and controlled stroke play.

Mandhana has been in excellent form throughout the season, leading the charts with the highest number of runs scored in a calendar year—974 runs. Though her World Cup campaign started slowly with just 54 runs in the initial three matches, Sunday’s performance demonstrated her resilience and ability to deliver under pressure, especially against a formidable Australian side.

Prior to the World Cup, Mandhana had impressed with two centuries and a total of 300 runs during a three-match ODI series against Australia, setting the stage for her standout display in this tournament.