Smriti Mandhana becomes first woman cricketer to score 11,000 international runs

India vice-captain Smriti Mandhana scripted another piece of cricket history on Tuesday, becoming the first woman cricketer to complete 11,000 runs in international cricket during the Asian Games final against Sri Lanka at Korogi Sports Park.

Mandhana entered the gold-medal clash needing just 13 runs to reach the landmark. She had accumulated 10,987 international runs across Tests, ODIs and T20Is before the final, and reached the milestone in the third over of India's innings.

The left-hander made a fast start after India chose to bat first. She opened her account with two boundaries in the first over before clearing the boundary in the third over to move past the 11,000-run mark.

Smriti Mandhana's 11,000 international runs

Before the Asian Games final, Mandhana's international tally stood at:

Tests: 788 runs

ODIs: 5,411 runs

T20Is: 4,788 runs

Total: 10,987 runs

With the six in the third over, she crossed the 11,000-run barrier and added another major milestone to an already record-filled year.

Mandhana had only recently become the highest run-scorer in women's international cricket across all three formats, overtaking former India captain Mithali Raj's previous tally of 10,868 runs during the Women's Asia Cup.

She also entered the Asian Games final as the record-holder for the most runs in T20I cricket across men's and women's international cricket. Mandhana moved past former New Zealand batter Suzie Bates during India's semifinal against Bangladesh, where she scored 37 runs.

India vs Sri Lanka in Asian Games final

India are attempting to retain the women's cricket gold medal at the Asian Games after winning the title in 2023. Sri Lanka, meanwhile, are chasing their first gold medal in the continental competition.

Both teams made no changes to their playing XIs for the final.

India reached the gold-medal match after beating Japan in the quarterfinal and Bangladesh in the semifinal. Sri Lanka defeated Malaysia and Pakistan on their way to the final.

The contest is also a repeat of the 2023 Asian Games final and the Women's Asia Cup final earlier this month, with India having defeated Sri Lanka in both encounters.

Sri Lanka have won two Asian Games medals in women's cricket: bronze in 2014 and silver in 2022 but are yet to claim gold. India, which had participated in the cricket event only once before, won the gold medal in 2023.

India Women playing XI

Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Gunalan Kamalini, Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Richa Ghosh (wicketkeeper), Bharti Fulmali, Deepti Sharma, Shreyanka Patil, Shree Charani, Nandani Sharma and Kranti Gaud.

Sri Lanka Women playing XI

Imesha Dulani, Chamari Athapaththu (captain), Hasini Perera, Harshitha Samarawickrama, Kavisha Dilhari, Hansima Karunaratne, Kaushani Nuthyangana (wicketkeeper), Mithali Ayodhya, Kawya Kavindi, Chamudi Praboda and Sugandika Kumari.

With IANS inputs