Six-Hitting Queens! Shafali and Mandhana Enter Elite 100-Sixes Club

XtraTime Webdesk: Today, history was rewritten at the Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin, Japan and the dynamic opening duo of the Indian women’s team, Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma. This duo has blasted their way into cricket’s most elite echelons. In a spectacular display during the Asian Games 2026 women’s cricket semifinal against Bangladesh, both the batters have officially joined the exclusive international club of hitting 100 sixes in a single format.

In the powerplay, this record-breaking spree began and vice-captain Smriti Mandhana executed a signature classical sweep over the mid-wicket boundary off Bangladesh’s bowling, registering her 100th career maximum in Women’s T20 Internationals. By doing this, they have became the first-ever Indian woman to reach the centenary mark for sixes in T20Is. Mandhana wrapped up her fiery 19-ball, 37-run cameo with five boundaries and two sixes, cementing her place at the top of the all-time WT20I run charts with 4,788 career runs.

However, the baton of maximums was quickly passed down the pitch. Her 22-year-old opening partner, Shafali Verma, launched a masterclass in aggressive power-hitting. Verma didn’t just cross the 100-six threshold; she also entirely redefined India's record books. The young female batting sensation got a breathtaking, unbeaten 100 off just 49 balls.

Verma’s explosive batting has taken her past Smriti Mandhana to become India’s leading six-hitter in Women’s T20Is, with 104 sixes in 116 international appearances. She also set another record in 2026. Verma has hit 35 sixes in the calendar year, surpassing Chamari Athapaththu’s previous record for the most sixes by a batter in Women’s T20Is in a single year.