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The Indian women's cricket team vice-captain Smriti Mandhana is just 28 runs away from becoming only the second Indian woman to score 10,000 international runs in cricket.
Smriti Mandhana will be in action for the Women in Blue in the third T20I of the series on Friday in Thiruvananthapuram against Sri Lanka. The 29-year-old left-handed batter from Maharashtra will have a chance to become the second Indian women's cricketer, after the legendary Mithali Raj, to score 10,000 runs in women's cricket. As of now, Smriti has scored 9,972 runs in 279 international matches across formats, while Mithali retired in 2022 with a career total of 10,868 runs in 333 matches. If she scores 28 runs, Mandhana will also become the fourth women's player in the world to surpass the 10,000-run milestone, joining Mithali, Suzie Bates (10,652), and Charlotte Edwards (10,273). India are leading the series Sri Lanka series 2-0 after registering wins in the first two matches. In the second T20I on Tuesday, India secured a comfortable seven-wicket victory over Sri Lanka. Chasing a modest target of 129, Shafali Verma led the charge with a blistering unbeaten 69 off 34 balls, including 11 fours and a six. Smriti Mandhana provided brief support with 14 runs before being dismissed early, while Jemimah Rodrigues contributed 26 off 15 balls. India reached the target in just 11.5 overs, with captain Harmanpreet Kaur coming in after Rodrigues' dismissal and getting out after the winning run. Earlier, Sri Lanka posted 128/9 in 20 overs, with Chamari Athapaththu top-scoring with 31 off 24 balls and Harshitha Madavi adding 33 off 32. India's bowlers, led by Vaishnavi Sharma and Shree Charani, took two wickets each, along with Kranti Gaud, Sneh Rana, and Amanjot Kaur with crucial run-outs, kept Sri Lanka under control throughout the innings. Early breakthroughs, disciplined bowling, and sharp fielding helped India restrict Sri Lanka to a below-par total, setting up an easy chase. (ANI)
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