India skipper Harmanpreet Kaur sets new benchmark, becomes most-capped women’s international cricketer

India women's cricket team captain Harmanpreet Kaur created history on Thursday after she became the most-capped international player in women's cricket. She surpassed New Zealand cricketer Suzie Bates to achieve the feat.

Suzie Bates has so far played 355 matches for New Zealand, whereas Thursday's second T20I against Australia in Canberra was Harmanpreet's 356th international match for India.

Australia's Ellyse Perry is third in the list with 349 international matches to her name.

It is also worth noting that both Suzie Bates and Ellyse Perry are active international cricketers like Harmanpreet, so the leaders of this category may change over time.

Former India captain Mithali Raj (333 matches) and former England cricketer Charlotte Edwards (309 matches) complete the top five.

The 36-year-old has played six Tests, 161 ODIs and 189 T20Is, aggregating 200, 4409 and 3784 runs in each of the three formats respectively. Harmanpreet has enjoyed a storied international career.

She led India to their maiden Women's ODI World Cup title last year and also oversaw a 3-2 T20I series win in England.

The Australian women's cricket team clinched a series-levelling win over India in the second T20I in Canberra on Thursday. The Women in Blue won the toss and opted to field. However, Australia got off to a strong start with Georgia Voll (88) and Beth Mooney (46) forging a 128-run partnership for the opening wicket.

However, the Indian bowlers led by Arundhati Reddy (2/30) restricted the hosts to 163/5. India, however, were restricted to 144/9 in reply with skipper Harmanpreet top-scoring with 36 runs. India had beaten Australia in a rain-marred contest in Sydney on 15 February.

The third and final T20I will be played in Adelaide on Saturday, after which the focus will shift to the ODIs. The ongoing T20I series acts as a preparation for the upcoming Women’s T20 World Cup later this year. The multi-nation tournament is scheduled to take place in England and will begin on 12 June. India is in Group A along with Pakistan, Australia and South Africa.