Elegance personified. These words sum up Smriti Mandhana’s batting style. But it’s her prowess in scoring runs with amazing consistency that sets her apart. One of the most graceful batters women’s cricket has seen, the left-handed opener from Maharashtra has been wowing fans the world over with her elegant stroke play and a string of records that go along with it. The latest is the biggest achievement of her decade-long career.

Achieves record with a six

Playing against Australia in a World Cup match at the VDCA Stadium here on Sunday, she needed 18 runs to become the first player in women’s cricket to notch up 1000 runs in a calendar year in ODIs. She attained the coveted mark when she hit Sophie Molineux for a six over long-on to write her name in the record books. She ultimately fell to the same bowler, but not before scoring a superb 80 off 66 balls. During the knock, she also became only the fifth woman cricketer to cross 5000 runs in ODIs in her 118th game. Former Indian captain Mithali Raj leads the list with 7805 in 232 matches. Moreover, Mandhana is only 367 runs away from becoming the second Indian to attain 10,000 international runs across three formats. Mithali heads the list with 10,868 runs among all-comers.