Dubai, September 4: India produced a dominant performance against Hong Kong, China, in the Women’s Asia Cup 2026 as Smriti Mandhana led the way with a brilliant 124-run innings. Her outstanding knock helped India secure a 137-run victory and also saw her create multiple records in women’s international cricket.
India were asked to bat first and posted a strong total of 193/5 in their 20 overs. Mandhana played the key role at the top of the order, scoring 124 runs from 64 balls. Her innings included 14 fours and seven sixes, giving India the strong start they needed.
Mandhana’s performance made the India vs Hong Kong match a memorable one. The left-handed batter not only recorded her second T20I century but also reached several major milestones during her innings.
With her score, Mandhana moved past former India captain Mithali Raj to become the highest run-scorer in women’s international cricket across all formats. She reached 10,880 international runs, going beyond Raj’s previous total of 10,868.
The India opener also moved ahead of former Australia captain Meg Lanning for the most centuries in women’s international cricket. Mandhana’s century was her 18th across formats, while Lanning had previously held the record with 17 hundreds.
Her 124 was also reported as the highest individual score in Women’s T20 Asia Cup history. Mandhana’s innings came after India’s opening pair put together 74 runs, with Shafali Verma contributing 28 runs from 17 balls.
After Mandhana’s dismissal, India were unable to add another major individual score, but the team still finished on 193/5. Pratika Rawal scored 10, while Richa Ghosh and Harmanpreet Kaur added 11 and 10 runs respectively.
Hong Kong faced a difficult chase from the beginning. India’s bowling attack kept taking wickets and did not allow the opposition to build a strong partnership.
Deepti Sharma was the leading bowler for India, taking three wickets for just nine runs from her three overs. Prema Rawat and Nandani Sharma also claimed two wickets each as India kept control of the innings.
Hong Kong were eventually bowled out for 56 runs in 16.2 overs. The result gave India a convincing 137-run victory in their Women’s Asia Cup 2026 Group A match. The win also confirmed India’s place in the semi-finals.
Mandhana Reflects on Her Record-Breaking Knock
Despite creating several major records, Mandhana said she did not know exactly what milestones she had reached while she was batting.
She praised Mithali Raj and Meg Lanning, describing them as legends she had grown up watching and learning from. Mandhana also said that moving past players she had admired was a special feeling.
Mandhana also acknowledged that batting conditions were not always easy during the match. She said the Hong Kong bowlers were disciplined during the powerplay and that India could learn from their approach.
The record-breaking performance has further strengthened Mandhana’s position among the leading names in women’s cricket. At 30, she now has 10,880 international runs and 18 centuries across formats.
India will next face Pakistan in the Women’s Asia Cup. The team will look to continue its strong run in the tournament, while attention will remain on Mandhana after her historic performance against Hong Kong.
