Harmanpreet Kaur surpassed Mithali Raj for a momentous milestone in the Women’s T20 World Cup during a Group A match against Pakistan in Birmingham on Sunday. Harmanpreet started the match jointly at the top at 726 with Mithali Raj. She went past the legend with a run on the first ball she faced. Meanwhile, vice-captain Smriti Mandhana struck a graceful 68, leading India to 117 for four after 15 overs in their ICC Women’s T20 World Cup opener against Pakistan on Sunday. Mandhana, whose fifty came off 44 balls (9×4, 2×6), and skipper Harmanpreet Kaur helped overcome the early departure of opener Shafali Verma and one-down Jemimah Rodrigues.
Kaur now sits at the top of the charts for India Women in T20 World Cups with 762 runs, followed by Mithali Raj (726), Smriti Mandhana (592), Jemimah Rodrigues (408), and Punam Raut (375).
She achieved this record in 40 matches and 34 innings. She also surpassed Australia’s Beth Mooney to become the 9th-highest run scorer in Women’s T20 World Cup history.
Coming in at a difficult moment with India reduced to 18/2, Harmanpreet Kaur steadied the innings with a composed 36 off 35 balls, striking four boundaries. She then anchored a crucial 91-run stand off 63 balls with Smriti Mandhana for the third wicket, helping rebuild the innings and shift momentum.
Her efforts, combined with a fluent fifty from Smriti Mandhana and a late blitz from Richa Ghosh, powered India to 170/6 in their 20 overs against their arch-rivals in the tournament opener.
Pakistan’s skipper Fatima Sana returned impressive bowling figures of 2/33 in 4 overs. Sadia Iqbal also claimed two wickets but went for 41 runs as Rameen Shamim and Tasmia Rubab took a wicket apiece.
With ANI inputs