India‘s vice-captain, Smriti Mandhanahas officially etched her name in the history books of women’s cricket. During the 2025 Women’s World Cup match against South Africathe left-handed batsman outscored the Australian big Belinda Clark‘s long-standing count.
The historic breaking of a 28 year old benchmark by Smriti Mandhana
Mandhana has now set the record for most One Day International runs scored in a single calendar year, a phenomenal achievement that has stood for 28 years. The milestone moment came after an hour-long rain delay at the ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam, adding drama to the historic event. Despite a relatively slow start to the World Cup tournament itself, Mandhana’s consistent scoring throughout the year has resulted in this brilliant performance.
After the match was delayed by an hour due to rain, Mandhana took to the crease in Visakhapatnam at the ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium determined to make her mark. Her start was noted as scratchy, indicating an initial battle for timing against the South African bowlers in the humid conditions. However, she quickly found her rhythm and needed just 13 runs to eclipse Clark’s long-standing world record set in 1997. Mandhana reached the milestone with a powerful shot, making maximum connection on the 21st delivery she faced in her innings, a truly fitting way to break the record.
This performance took her past Clark’s previous total of 970 runs, cementing her place at the top of the all-time list for the calendar year. It’s an incredible achievement, especially when you compare it to her recent form in the tournament. Despite the magnitude of this achievement, Mandhana’s individual scores in the current World Cup prior to this match were modest. She was sent off in the opening match against just eight points Sri Lanka. The vice-captain then recorded a slightly better score of 23 in the high-stakes encounter against arch-rivals Pakistan.
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Mandhana’s record-breaking statistical season for India in Women’s ODI
Mandhana’s new world record season currently stands at an astonishing 972 runs, amassed over just 17 innings played during the calendar year 2025. Her current batting average is very impressive, hovering around the 60-run mark at 59.93, demonstrating remarkable consistency over the course of the entire year. The strike rate that accompanies this incredible run count is remarkably aggressive, recorded at 113.76, highlighting her ability to score quickly and dominate opposition bowling attacks.
Crucially, Mandhana has already registered four centuries and three half-centuries in her ODI 2025 campaign, demonstrating her ability to convert starts into huge, match-winning scores.
By comparison, Australian cricket legend Clark set the previous benchmark of 970 runs in 1997, achieved in a quicker 14 innings, with an even higher average of 80.83. Clark also achieved three centuries and four fifties during her record year, scoring with a strike rate of 98.11, a phenomenal achievement for her time. The statistical table clearly shows the huge number of runs that Mandhana has amassed, eclipsing Clark by two runs and her innings still active at the time of the milestone. Other notable achievements on the elite list include Laura Wolvaardt‘s 882 will run in 2022 and Debbie Hockley‘s 880 runs in the same 1997 season as Clark.
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This article was first published on WomenCricket.coma Cricket Times company.
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