4th T20I: Record total, record stand as Smriti Mandhana-Shafali Verma hammer Sri Lanka into submission

By Sandy Verma On Dec 28, 2025

NEW DELHI: India’s opening pair of Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana put on a breathtaking batting exhibition to propel the hosts to a mammoth 221 for 2 – their highest-ever total in women’s T20Is – in the fourth match against Sri Lanka in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday.

Put in to bat, the duo tore into the Sri Lankan attack from the outset, racing to a stunning 162-run opening partnership that rewrote the record books. Boundaries flowed freely as both batters mixed timing with brute power, leaving the bowlers with no respite. Shafali continued her red-hot form in the series by registering her third consecutive half-century.

The 162-run stand is now India’s highest partnership in women’s T20Is for any wicket, eclipsing Mandhana and Shafali’s own previous best of 143 against the West Indies at Gros Islet in 2019.

Innings Break!
A solid all-round show with the bat by #TeamIndia
They put up 2⃣2⃣1⃣/2 on the board which their highest total in women’s T20Is 👏
Scorecard ▶️ #INDvSL , @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/NsV2HjlXYs
— BCCI Women (@BCCIWomen) December 28, 2025

Shafali’s blistering 79 came off just 46 deliveries and included 12 fours and a six, while Mandhana was equally destructive, hammering 80 from 48 balls with 11 fours and three sixes.

The onslaught didn’t stop there. Richa Ghosh added late fireworks, blasting an unbeaten 40 off just 16 balls, punctuated by four boundaries and three sixes, to push India past the 220 mark and put Sri Lanka under immense pressure.

…#TeamIndia‘s Highest Partnership in Women’s T20I & Highest Opening Stand in Women’s T20Is ✅ ✅
Smriti Mandhana 🤝 Shafali Verma
Updates ▶️ #INDvSL , @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/6deHbfq61O
— BCCI Women (@BCCIWomen) December 28, 2025

200-plus totals for IND-W in Women’s T20Is

221/2 vs SL-W, Thiruvananthapuram, 2025*
217/4 vs WI-W, DY Patil, 2024
210/5 vs ENG-W, Trent Bridge, 2025
201/5 vs UAE Women, Dambulla, 2024

Mandhana also entered history books, becoming only the fourth batsman after compatriot Mithali Raj, New Zealand’s Suzie Bates and England’s Charlotte Edwards to complete 10,000 international runs across formats.

On her part, Shafali continued with her red-hot form to make a third consecutive half-century in this series but missed a maiden ton in format, which was for the taking.

Having had a quiet series so far given her lofty standards, Mandhana was in her elements as her drives were crisp and so were the hits on the on-side, where each of her three sixes were hit.

(With PTI Inputs)