In 2025, Smriti Mandhana turned brilliance into dominance, redefining excellence in Indian women’s cricket with a season for the ages.
If Indian women’s cricket had a single, unmistakable face in 2025, it was Smriti Mandhana. Elegant yet ruthless, consistent yet capable of decisive bursts, Mandhana produced one of the greatest individual years the women’s game has seen. Records fell with startling regularity, but more importantly, her runs shaped India’s biggest triumph—the country’s first-ever Women’s ODI World Cup title.
The numbers alone tell a staggering story. Mandhana became the first woman in history to score more than 1,000 runs in a calendar year in One-Day Internationals, finishing 2025 with 1,362 runs. She did it with authority: five centuries, five half-centuries, an average of 61.9, and a strike rate touching 110. In a format that demands both control and acceleration, Mandhana mastered the balance, setting new benchmarks for consistency and tempo.
Her ODI dominance was the backbone of India’s World Cup campaign. Across the tournament, she amassed 434 runs, the second-highest tally overall and the most by an Indian batter in a single edition. The defining moment came with a World Cup century against New Zealand, an innings that blended composure with command and announced India’s intent to go all the way. By the time India lifted the trophy on November 2, 2025, Mandhana’s bat had already done much of the heavy lifting.
That World Cup win was also symbolic. Indian women’s cricket had waited decades for the ultimate prize, and Mandhana’s performance ensured the breakthrough was built on dominance rather than chance. She was not merely present in the tournament; she shaped it, setting the tone at the top of the order and forcing oppositions into defensive positions early.
Beyond the World Cup, 2025 marked Mandhana’s arrival into truly elite territory in women’s cricket. During the year, she crossed 10,000 international runs across formats, becoming only the second Indian woman and the fourth overall to reach the milestone. More impressively, she did it faster than anyone before her, in terms of innings played. It was a moment that placed her firmly among the global greats, not just as a stylish batter, but as a sustained performer across conditions and formats.
Her achievements were not confined to ODIs. In T20 internationals, Mandhana crossed 4,000 runs, becoming the first Indian woman to do so and the fastest in the world by balls faced. The milestone came fittingly with a fluent 80 against Sri Lanka in December, an innings that also carried her past the 10,000-run mark internationally. It underlined a defining feature of her 2025 season: she finished as strongly as she began.
Mandhana also completed a rare and historic treble by scoring centuries in all three formats—Tests, ODIs, and T20Is—becoming the first Indian woman to achieve the feat. In a sport where format specialization is increasingly common, her ability to excel across the spectrum set her apart. Whether constructing long innings in ODIs, adapting to the patience required in Tests, or accelerating in T20Is, Mandhana showed a technical completeness few possess.
What made her 2025 special, however, was not just volume or versatility, but intent. Her strike rates, particularly in ODIs, reflected a batter unafraid to redefine tempo in the women’s game. She attacked when conditions allowed, rotated strike intelligently, and imposed herself on bowling attacks rather than reacting to them. It was modern batting at its most assured.
There was also a quiet leadership in Mandhana’s performances. Even when she was not wearing the captain’s armband, her presence at the crease brought calm and belief. Partnerships flourished around her, and younger batters found confidence batting alongside someone operating at the peak of her powers. In pressure moments, she offered India certainty.
By the end of 2025, Smriti Mandhana’s season stood apart not only in Indian cricket, but in the global women’s game. She combined personal milestones with team success, elegance with impact, and consistency with peak performances when it mattered most.
In a year that will be remembered for India’s World Cup breakthrough, Mandhana emerged as its finest individual performer. Her 2025 was not just prolific—it was transformative, setting new standards for what an Indian woman cricketer can achieve on the world stage.
