Argus News - Harmanpreet Kaur Becomes Most-Capped Player in Women’s International Cricket

Canberra, Feb 19: India captain Harmanpreet Kaur etched her name into the record books on Thursday, becoming the most-capped player in women’s international cricket during the second T20I against Australia at the Manuka Oval.

The landmark appearance marked Kaur’s 356th international match for India, taking her past the previous record of 355 matches held by New Zealand great Suzie Bates.

With the record, Kaur now leads the all-time list of international appearances in women’s cricket, ahead of Bates, Australia’s Ellyse Perry (349 matches), and former India captain Mithali Raj (333 matches). England legend Charlotte Edwards rounds out the top five with 309 appearances.

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Kaur, who made her international debut in 2009, has built an extensive career across all three formats. Her record tally comprises six Tests, 161 ODIs and 189 T20Is, with the milestone match also being her 189th appearance in the T20I format.

Kaur’s latest milestone adds to an already decorated career defined by leadership and major achievements. She guided India to their maiden ODI World Cup triumph in 2025 and recently oversaw a T20I series win in England. Earlier this month, she was also honoured with the Padma Shri for her outstanding contribution to Indian cricket.

India entered the match holding a 1-0 advantage in the three-match T20I series, which is part of a broader multi-format tour that also includes three ODIs and a one-off Test.

India registered a 21-run victory over Australia via the DLS method in the first T20I at the Sydney Cricket Ground, thanks largely to a career-best bowling performance from Arundhati Reddy.

Reddy’s outstanding figures of 4-22 helped bowl Australia out for 133 in 18 overs, despite brief resistance from Georgia Wareham (30), Phoebe Litchfield (26), and Ellyse Perry (20). Australia’s innings collapsed dramatically, losing five wickets for just 12 runs after a promising partnership.

In reply, India made a strong start with openers Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana adding 50 runs in 5.1 overs. However, heavy rain halted play, and with no further action possible, India were declared the winners under the DLS method. The win gave India an early advantage in the multi-format series.

(IANS)