5 min readSep 3, 2026 11:51 PM IST
The celebration in Dubai bore no resemblance to the one in Nottingham.
Questions had been raised after the 2024 T20 World Cup. A strike rate of 94.93 demanded scrutiny. Only a discernible change in batting approach would have been a convincing response.
The change arrived a few months later, next June in Nottingham. Mandhana scored her maiden T20I century — 112 off 62 balls against England. Her arms reached for the sky as a load lifted off her shoulders.
The helmet stayed in place this time. The bat raise was half-hearted, almost apologetic. After all, this was only Hong Kong China. Perhaps, modesty got the better of the Indian opener. Mandhana’s second T20I century — a 64-ball 124 at the Women’s Asia Cup on Thursday — came against humble opposition, a team that, in their only previous (unofficial) T20 outing against India in 2012, had mustered a total of 24.
Courtesy Mandhana’s century, India secured a 137-run triumph and secured their passage to the semifinals. Scoring 195/3 after being asked to bat first, India bowled Hong Kong out for 56.
Smriti Mandhana becomes the first Indian woman to score two T20I centuries — with Vivek Razdan’s call adding that little extra magic. 🎙️✨
Watch India vs Hong Kong, China LIVE on Sony Sports Network TV channels & Sony LIV.#SonySportsNetwork #SonyLIV #DPWorldWomensAsiaCup2026… pic.twitter.com/8vU13SOpg8
— Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) September 3, 2026
The result didn’t have an iota of surprise, nor did Mandhana’s batting approach.
India’s score does not offer an accurate portrayal of the wicket’s true nature. Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur, at the toss, called it ‘very tricky.’ Caution governed the opening overs — 18 balls, 18 runs from Mandhana.
Then, caution was thrown to the wind. Three boundaries bled from the fifth over, all fashioned by the left-hander’s blade. Opening partner Shafali Verma hit two sixes and as many fours in the next over, before Ruchika Venkatesh dismissed her for 28.
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India added another 119 runs after her departure. Mandhana made 80 of them. Anything short was pulled with disdain. Anything sweepable was swept with conviction. Her drives held caress; her cuts — like the one that brought up the century — held surgical precision.
Mandhana scored two runs short of a century from just boundaries — 14 fours and seven sixes. It was an innings in perfect synchronisation with the steadily climbing graph of her T20I strike rate. What was 126.53 in 2024 became 135.85 in 2025, and 145.84 this year, going into this match. In a couple of years, her strike rate at the T20 World Cup has gone from 94.93 to 140.4.
If one is to present a qualm about India’s batting, it could be the lack of runs from anyone not named Smriti Mandhana or Shafali Verma. Pratika Rawal, with a 12-ball 10, did little to justify her selection. Richa Ghosh wasn’t too effective either. It has now been over eight months since she recorded a 35+ score in T20Is.
Hong Kong’s primary goal in the chase — if it could be called that— was to bat through the 20 overs.
Smriti Mandhana cooked up an absolute storm in Dubai tonight! 💯
Watch India vs Hong Kong, China LIVE on Sony Sports Network TV channels & Sony LIV.#SonySportsNetwork #SonyLIV #DPWorldWomensAsiaCup2026 #NotAGentlemansGame pic.twitter.com/v4GjX9dY7B
— Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) September 3, 2026
At one stage, it seemed that they would be successful in that endeavour. The first eight overs yielded only 26 runs, but saw just a solitary wicket, taken by Nandani Sharma. The stonewalling effort, however, was no match against India’s spin trio of Deepti Sharma, Prema Rawat and Sree Charani, who combined to take seven wickets for 37 runs. Nine wickets fell in a span of 47 deliveries, ensuring a comfortable victory for the most successful team in the tournament’s history.
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India will now face Pakistan on Saturday, at the same venue. As for the fixture against Hong Kong China, Mandhana may not have known much about them, but Thursday will be remembered less for India’s victory than for what she did to bring it about.
During the game, she became the leading run-scorer in women’s international cricket, became the first woman to score 18 international centuries, and recorded the highest score in the T20 version of this competition. If only, there were some spectators to witness the spectacle.
Brief Scores: India 195/3 (Smriti Mandhana 124; Marina Lamplough 2/46) beat Hong Kong 56 all out (Natasha Miles 15; Deepti Sharma 3/9) by 137 runs.