The announcement was made this Sunday evening, 28 December, 2025, at Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram where Indian Women’s cricket team achieved their historic milestone. Projecting their power and tactical dominance over an inexperienced opposition, India recorded their highest-ever T20 International total with a devastating 221/2 in the fourth T20I against Sri Lanka.
Already ahead 3-0 in the five-match series, India were in no mood to let their foot off the pedal. It was leaving everything on the field, but instead, it became a masterclass of modern T20 batting – an opening partnership record at this World Cup and the highest stand in women’s T20Is history — that shredded record books and left Sri Lanka’s bowlers groping for solutions.
A Historic Opening Act: 162 Runs of Uncommon Dominance
India were made to bat first after losing the toss — one of few where captain Harmanpreet Kaur was involved on this tour. And then ensued the boundary feast that had the Kerala crowd in raptures. Mandhana and Shafali weren’t just a “solid start”; they produced knockout blows.
The duo added 162 runs together for the opening wicket – the highest-ever partnership among Indian Women batswomen for any wicket in WT20Is. The partnership was so in sync that right from the first over, they found chinks in the field for gaps.
Smriti Mandhana (80 off 48 balls): If class was to have a rendezvous with consistency, then this is Mandhana for you. In her innings comprising 11 boundaries and three sixes, she crossed the milestone of 10,000 runs in cricketing career across all formats to become only the second Indian woman after Mithali Raj to achieve the feat.
Shafali Verma (79 off 46 balls) The 21-year-old sensation once again went about her business in the ‘fearless from ball one’ style of batting. Her knock was studded with 12 boundaries and a huge six once again establishing why she is the game’s most destructive opener presently.
When the alliance was finally broken in the 16th over, a base for a record total had been well and truly set.
Richa Ghosh: The Finishing Flourish
There was a small window for Sri Lanka to claw back when the openers fell in quick succession. But Richa Ghosh had other ideas. Elevated in the order, the young wicketkeeper-batter played a fiery cameo that gave no chance for the momentum to subside.
Ghosh bludgeoned an unbeaten 40 from a dozen balls at a strike rate of 250. Her effortless big hitting helped take India past 220 for the first time in the history books, bettering their previous high of 217/4 against West Indies last year.
“From the word go, intent was visible here,” a team official remarked during the innings break. “The pitch was very good and the batsmen wanted to show their marks just two months before preparations for T20 World Cup gets underway,” he said.
Strategic Changes and Series Context
India made a couple of changes in the playing XI going into the 4th T20I. Predominant on the day, however, was Jemimah Rodrigues – one of their mainstays of the middle order – being a late scratch after she developed high fever and Kranti Gaud was rested to manage her workload. Instead, Harleen Deol and Arundhati Reddy were thrust into the XI, a reflection on the riches that the current Indian squad possesses.
The match has been another slog for Sri Lanka. Although they made a pugnacious beginning to their chase – Hasini Perera hitting three boundaries in the first over – the score is much too steep for any team in world cricket to scale. Chamari Athapaththu, the captain, who has been lacking rhythm and fielding an outgunned unit, finds herself with the unenviable task of needing to muster together a side that’s simply not had things their way.
Up Next: The Path to 5-0
This series has not been just a bilateral battle, it’s an “Batting Revolution” for India. With its four leading run-scorers of all time — Mandhana, Kaur, Rodrigues and Verma all active and in form as well, India is a finely tuned unit heading into 2026.
The fifth T20I will be played at the same venue on Tuesday. Whether India will continue to experiment further or the team management has set their eyes on a 5-0 whitewash is not clear, but one thing is certainly evident: the chasm between Team India and their subcontinental counter parts have never been wider.
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