Smriti Mandhana Shows No Signs of Slowing Down This Year

Smriti Mandhana continues to dominate for the Indian team across formats. After having her prime run in 2025, Mandhana now continues to dominate against Australia in the away series. It seems that there is no stopping for her, as the Indian team aims for the T20 World Cup 2026. 

Smriti Mandhana, the Queen of Cricket, continues her dominance in the game. Taking a look at her performances in 2025 it seemed to be a golden period for her. But her form just keeps on getting better with each passing game, which also comes as a big positive sign for the Indian team. 

She broke a number of records in the ODI format in 2025, and even won the Women's World Cup. That was expected to be her best time in the ODI format, but Mandhana has carried on the same form even in 2026. In the first ODI against Australia, she brought up yet another half-century for the Indian team.

Memorable Start to 2026

Smriti Mandhana started 2026 in the same way she ended 2025. The runs just keep on flowing from her bat, as she continues to strike well for the Indian team. The first challenge which the team had this year was going against the Aussies at their own home ground. A positive start by Mandhana also helped India to come out on top against them. 

India was able to win the T20I series against Australia by 2-1. And Smriti Mandhana played a crucial role for the team in the same, as she finished as the highest run scorer. With 129 runs in three games and an average of 64.50, she showed her brilliance with the bat and helped India to come out victorious. 

Smriti Mandhana in T20I Series vs Australia:

• Innings: 3
• Not Out: 1
• Runs: 129
• Average: 64.50
• Strike Rate: 134.37
• 50s: 1

After the T20I series came to an end, Smriti Mandhana continued to show her brilliance in the ODI series. While the other batters struggled to cross even the 30-run mark, she went on to score 58 runs for the team while opening. Her knock helped India to reach the score of 214, and Mandhana also had a stand with the skipper, Harmanpreet Kaur. 

Smriti Mandhana vs Australia in ODIs:

• Innings: 22
• Not Out: 0
• Runs: 1078
• Average: 49.00
• Strike Rate: 106.31
• 100s: 4
• 50s: 7

The first ever ODI match played by Smriti Mandhana has also helped her to break some records. She smashed a fifty in this game and this was her 11th 50+ in the ODI format against Australia only. Now she has the most 50+ scores by any player against Australia in the ODI format. 

Smriti Mandhana in 2025

Regardless of the format she played, Smriti Mandhana was one of the key performers for the Indian team even in 2025. The ODI format could be termed as her favourite, as she even broke numerous records in this format last year. The most important record of them all was Mandhana getting the most runs in a calendar year in the ODI format. 

Smriti Mandhana in ODIs in 2025:

• Innings: 23
• Not Out: 1
• Runs: 1362
• Average: 61.39
• Strike Rate: 109.92
• 100s: 5
• 50s: 5

Moreover, she was able to bring up five tons in 2025 alone in the ODI format. Whether India was playing a bilateral series or the crucial ODI World Cup, Mandhana was just able to dominate in each and every ground. She was also the team's top performer in the ODI series against Australia, right before the World Cup. 

Mandhana scored two consecutive centuries against the Aussies, taking the home ground advantage. This fueled her for the ODI World Cup which was also set to take place in India. However, the start of the World Cup didn't favour Mandhana till it was India's turn to go against Australia. 

From there, she continued her prime form for the Indian team. Mandhana scored two half-centuries and one century in three consecutive games. She even finished as India's highest run scorer in the tournament, grabbing a massive total of 434 runs in 9 innings at an average of 54.25. 

Smriti Mandhana in T20Is in 2025:

• Innings: 9
• Not Out: 0
• Runs: 341
• Average: 37.88
• Strike Rate: 135.85
• 100s: 1
• 50s: 2

Her form in the T20Is also remained at par for the Indian team in 2025. This shows her dominance was not just limited to one format of the game. Moreover, she has just finished the T20I series against Australia as the highest run scorer, which comes as a major boost for the Indian team as the Women's T20 World Cup takes place from June.