Shafali Verma has created history by becoming the highest run-scorer in a calendar year in women’s T20I cricket. The Indian opener achieved the milestone during the Asian Games 2026 final against Sri Lanka at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin on Tuesday, September 22. Shafali needed just 10 runs to surpass South African star Laura Wolvaardt’s previous record of 824 runs in a calendar year. She reached the mark with her 10th run off the seventh delivery she faced, taking her tally to 825 runs in 2026.

The Asian Games gold-medal clash is Shafali’s 24th T20I appearance of the year. Her record-breaking run has put her at the top of the global list for most women’s T20I runs scored in a calendar year.

Wolvaardt remains second on the list, followed by Hong Kong’s Natasha Miles, UAE batter Esha Oza and another Hong Kong batter, Yasmin Daswani.

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Shafali’s consistency throughout 2026 has been a major feature of her campaign. Before the final, she had scored seven fifties and one century in her first 23 T20Is. Another half-century against Sri Lanka would have given her nine scores of 50 or more in a calendar year, which would also be a world record.

The 22-year-old has been in exceptional form heading into the final. Across her previous four T20I appearances, she had registered two half-centuries and a century. She also produced a stunning unbeaten 40 off just 15 balls against Japan in India’s quarter-final clash at the Asian Games.

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Smriti Mandhana has also been among India’s standout performers during the tournament. The left-hander entered the Sri Lanka final within touching distance of another major milestone.

Mandhana needed only 13 runs to become the first player to reach 11,000 runs in women’s international cricket, adding another record to the list of landmarks within India’s reach during the gold-medal contest.