Smriti Mandhana becomes fastest woman to reach 5000-run milestone in ODIs

Dubai: Indian opener Smriti Mandhana is enjoying the form of her life, and on Sunday, she added another feather to her cap. During India’s Women’s World Cup clash against Australia in Visakhapatnam, the 29-year-old became the youngest and fastest player to reach 5,000 runs in Women’s ODI cricket.

Mandhana achieved the milestone in her 112th ODI, smashing a six off Australian bowler Kim Garth in the 21st over. She broke the previous record held by West Indies’ Stafanie Taylor, who reached the landmark in 129 matches. New Zealand’s Suzie Bates and India’s Mithali Raj followed at 136 and 144 matches respectively.

The elegant left-hander reached the milestone while scoring a fluent 80 off just 66 deliveries, including nine boundaries and three sixes. She was eventually dismissed by Sophie Molineux, caught at deep midwicket, but not before putting India in a strong position. Mandhana brought up her half-century off 46 balls, shifting gears after a steady start.

This knock also marked her first fifty of the 2025 Women’s World Cup. Despite a slow start to the tournament — scoring only 54 runs across the first three matches — she bounced back in style against a team she has traditionally excelled against.

Just weeks before the World Cup, Mandhana had hammered two centuries in a three-match ODI series against Australia, amassing 300 runs. With her 80 on Sunday, she also extended her record for the most ODI runs in a calendar year by any player, taking her tally to 974.