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Shafali Verma has created history in women’s T20Is, becoming the highest run-scorer in a calendar year. The India opener needed just 10 runs in the Asian Games 2026 final against Sri Lanka to move past South African star Laura Wolvaardt’s record of 824 runs. Shafali reached the mark with her 10th run off the seventh ball she faced.
The final at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin is Shafali’s 24th T20I of 2026. She now has 825 runs to her name and no other batter has scored more runs in women’s T20Is in a single calendar year.
Most runs in WT20I in a single calender year
| PLAYER | COUNTRY | MATCHES | RUNS | BEST SCORE | 100 | 50 | YEAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shafali Verma | India | 24* | 825* | 100* | 1 | 7 | 2026 |
| Laura Wolvaardt | South Africa | 24 | 824 | 126* | 2 | 4 | 2026 |
| Natasha Miles | Hong Kong | 27 | 800 | 100* | 1 | 6 | 2026 |
| Esha Oza | UAE | 22 | 779 | 113 | 2 | 3 | 2025 |
| Yasmin Daswani | Hong Kong | 22 | 779 | 84* | 0 | 5 | 2026 |
| Smriti Mandhana | India | 23 | 763 | 77 | 0 | 8 | 2024 |
| Chamari Athapaththu | Sri Lanka | 22* | 721 | 106* | 1 | 2 | 2026 |
| Chamari Athapaththu | Sri Lanka | 21 | 720 | 119* | 2 | 4 | 2024 |
| Esha Oza | UAE | 20 | 711 | 114* | 1 | 4 | 2024 |
| Nannapat Koncharoenkai | Thailand | 25 | 707 | 73 | 0 | 4 | 2026 |
Wolvaardt is second on the list, while Hong Kong’s Natasha Miles, UAE’s Esha Oza and Hong Kong’s Yasmin Daswani also feature among the leading run-scorers in a calendar year.
Shafali had already enjoyed a remarkable year before the final. In her first 23 T20Is of 2026, she scored seven fifties and a century for India.
She also had a chance to create another record in the final. A fifty against Sri Lanka would have made her the first player to score nine 50-plus knocks in women’s T20Is in a single calendar year.
The 22-year-old has been in excellent touch in recent matches. In her last four T20Is before the final, she scored two half-centuries and a century. She also produced a quick unbeaten 40 off 15 balls against Japan in India’s quarter-final at the Asian Games.
Shafali Verma's WT20I runs in 2026
| RUNS | BALLS | 4s | 6s | STRIKE RATE | AGAINST | VENUE | DATE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 190.9 | Australia | Sydney | February 15 |
| 29 | 23 | 5 | 0 | 126.08 | Australia | Canberra | February 19 |
| 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 116.66 | Australia | Adelaide | February 21 |
| 34 | 20 | 5 | 1 | 170 | Australia | Durban | April 17 |
| 57 | 38 | 7 | 2 | 150 | South Africa | Durban | April 19 |
| 64 | 46 | 8 | 2 | 139.13 | South Africa | Johannesburg | April 22 |
| 9 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 100 | South Africa | Johannesburg | April 25 |
| 4 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 80 | South Africa | Benoni | April 27 |
| 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 66.66 | England | Chelmsford | May 28 |
| 22 | 14 | 5 | 0 | 157.14 | England | Bristol | May 30 |
| 11 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 183.33 | England | Taunton | June 2 |
| 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 120 | Pakistan | Birmingham | June 14 |
| 55 | 38 | 10 | 0 | 144.73 | Netherlands | Leeds | June 17 |
| 31 | 15 | 4 | 1 | 206.66 | South Africa | Manchester | June 21 |
| 53 | 34 | 8 | 1 | 155.88 | Bangladesh | Manchester | June 25 |
| 34 | 26 | 3 | 2 | 130.76 | Australia | Lord’s | June 28 |
| 64 | 36 | 8 | 3 | 177.77 | Thailand | Dubai | August 30 |
| 28 | 17 | 3 | 2 | 164.7 | Hong Kong, China | Dubai | September 3 |
| 12 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 200 | Pakistan | Dubai | September 5 |
| 64 | 40 | 7 | 3 | 160 | Bangladesh | Dubai | September 10 |
| 68 | 39 | 9 | 2 | 174.35 | Sri Lanka | Dubai | September 13 |
| 40* | 15 | 6 | 2 | 266.66 | Japan | Nisshin | September 18 |
| 100* | 49 | 3 | 9 | 204.08 | Bangladesh | Nisshin | September 20 |
| 10* | 7 | 1 | 0 | 170.00 | Sri Lanka | Nisshin | September 22 |
Smriti Mandhana has also been among the runs for India. She was within touching distance of another major milestone, needing 13 runs against Sri Lanka to become the first player to complete 11,000 runs in women’s international cricket.