Smriti Mandhana Dominates 2025, Reaching 10,000 Runs

Indian cricket star Smriti Mandhana had a year for the ages in 2025. She really cemented her place as one of the game’s greats. Mandhana smashed past the 10,000 international runs mark, a pretty huge moment for Indian women’s cricket.

But that wasn’t all, not by a long shot. She also recorded India’s fastest ever ODI century and was part of a record-breaking partnership with Shafali Verma, which led to India’s highest T20I total. It was just a truly incredible year for Smriti Mandhana.

A Historic 2025 Season

Mandhana hit her 10,000th international run with a gentle drive against Sri Lanka in a T20I game. That happened on Sunday in Thiruvananthapuram. She joined a very exclusive club, becoming only the fourth woman overall to reach that milestone. And get this, she’s only the second Indian woman to do it, after the legend Mithali Raj. Smriti did it faster than anyone else too, just 280 innings. Mithali took 291, so Smriti really flew to the mark.

Her 2025 was just relentless. She was an absolute force, honestly. India had a brilliant World Cup campaign, and Smriti was the second-highest run-scorer in the tournament. She also became the first woman to score over 1,000 runs in ODIs in a single calendar year. She finished 2025 with 1,362 runs from 23 matches, averaging a whopping 61.9. Her strike-rate was over 109, which is just fantastic.

She scored five ODI hundreds that year. One of them, against Australia in Delhi, came off just 50 balls. That’s the fastest hundred ever by an Indian — man or woman. It was a pretty special innings. You can check out some of her skills here. And then in June, she blasted 112 runs from 62 balls against England in Nottingham. That made her the first Indian woman to hit centuries in all three formats of the game.

Breaking Barriers with Bat and Partner

Smriti wasn’t just shining on her own. She also made history with her opening partner, Shafali Verma. Against the Sri Lankans on Sunday, they put on a massive 162-run partnership. That’s a new record for India in T20Is, for any wicket too.

Smriti made 80 runs in that game. She was a bit cautious early on, letting Shafali go hard. But then Smriti hit the accelerator. That helped India reach its highest-ever total in T20Is, a huge 221 for two from 20 overs. It was a welcome return to form for her too, after some lower scores in the previous T20Is.

“After playing a lot of ODI cricket this year, it was tough to get into T20 cricket. It was mentally a little different. Happy that I contributed better today,” Smriti said after the match.

It just goes to show how adaptable she is, you know? She really makes it count. Her powerful shots are always a sight to behold.

Elegance Meets Evolution

Everyone talks about Smriti’s elegance. She’s a left-hander, and her drives through the off-side are just silky smooth. Sri Lanka’s coach, Rumesh Ratnayake, even compared her to David Gower, that famous English captain from the 80s. That’s pretty high praise. But she’s not just relying on natural talent. Smriti debuted for India back in 2013 when she was just 16. A decade later, she’s still pushing herself. She really wants to fine-tune her game, all the time.

W.V. Raman, who used to coach the Indian women’s team, thinks Smriti has really improved her on-side game. That’s made her much harder to contain. “She has expanded on her repertoire of shot-making and that’s the reason she has churned out runs in such a consistent manner,” Raman told The Hindu.

He said she’s worked specifically on shots between square leg and long-on. Her personal coach, Anant Tambavekar, mentioned she’s really nailed down the slog sweep against spin. She’s got more confidence to clear the boundary now. You can see her in action in this video clip.

Her fitness has made a huge difference too. Smriti’s been working with Srikanth Varma Madapalli, a strength coach who even trained badminton star P.V. Sindhu. Raman thinks this strength training lets her hit big shots for longer periods. It just helps her sustain that power.

“She always had the ability to play big shots. The difference now is that she is able to sustain her big hitting for a longer duration, because she’s become stronger by way of improving her fitness. That’s a better way of putting it,” Raman explained.

What’s Next for Smriti Mandhana?

So, what’s next for Smriti Mandhana after such a fulfilling year? Raman thinks she’s just at the “base of her peak.” He believes she still has so many mountains to climb, which is pretty exciting for fans.

Smriti herself has a great mindset.

“It’s never the case that I’ve done it before. You’ve to start on zero in every game. What you have done in the last match or previous series isn’t important,” she told bcci.tv after her 10,000-run milestone. “I’m really tough on myself in ODIs and Tests. If I get out, it feels like a sin for me.”

Her focus now moves to the fourth edition of the Women’s Premier League. That kicks off on January 9. She led Royal Challengers Bengaluru to the title in 2024, but her personal batting in the WPL hasn’t quite matched her international standards yet. But you know Smriti, she’ll probably fix that pretty soon. It’s just a matter of time, really.