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Smriti Mandhana vs Chamari Athapaththu: Who Is Better? Batting and Stats Comparison
Two left-handed openers who have defined a generation of batting in their respective countries. Smriti Mandhana has been a pillar of India’s batting line-up in all three formats since 2013.
Chamari Athapathu has carried Sri Lanka almost single-handedly for over a decade, often as both batsman and captain. One has the support of a deep batting unit around him. The other has often had to do it alone. The T20I, ODI and Test figures show how each has performed in those different situations.
T20 International Cricket
Mandhana has dominated the format. In 167 T20 matches, she has scored 4401 runs at an average of 30.1, including 1 century, 34 half-centuries, a highest score of 112 runs and a strike rate of 124.9. Her half-centuries in 34 T20 matches are a number that very few batsmen have scored in women’s cricket.
Athapathu has played 159 T20 matches and has scored 3783 runs at an average of 25.6, including 3 centuries, 14 half-centuries, a highest score of 119 not out and a strike rate of 1111.0. Mandhana has scored more than one century in three of her T20 matches, and her highest score of 119 not out is higher than Mandhana’s 112 runs. Athapathu’s peak performance in this format reaches a level that Mandhana rarely touches.
But the overall statistics favor Mandhana. She has scored 618 more runs in 8 fewer matches, an average of almost five runs more, and her strike rate is faster. Athapathu has the highest individual score. Mandhana’s scores are more consistent and her overall output is higher. Mandhana wins T20I batting on the balance of her statistics.
| Player | Years | Mat | Inn | NO | Runs | HS | Avg | BF | SR | 100s | 50s | 4s | 6s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chamari Athapaththu | 2009– | 159 | 156 | 8 | 3783 | 119* | 25.6 | 3409 | 111.0 | 3 | 14 | 493 | 99 |
| Smriti Mandhana | 2013– | 167 | 161 | 15 | 4401 | 112 | 30.1 | 3523 | 124.9 | 1 | 34 | 593 | 87 |
ODI Cricket
This is where the gap becomes significant. Mandhana has played 120 ODIs and has scored 5411 runs at an average of 47.9 with 14 centuries, 35 half-centuries, the highest century of 136 and a strike rate of 90.4.
Athpathu has played 126 ODIs and has scored 4154 runs at an average of 34.6 with 9 centuries, 20 half-centuries, the highest run not out of 195 and a strike rate of 75.5. Her 195 not out is a remarkable individual score and is higher than any score made by Mandhana in that format. It stands out as one of the greatest innings in women’s ODI history.
Despite that peak, the gap in consistency is huge. Mandhana averages 47.9 while Athapathuwa averages 34.6, a difference of over 13 runs per innings. Mandhana has 14 ODI centuries to her name, while Athapathuwa has 9 centuries and has scored over 1200 runs in six fewer matches. Mandhana also scores quickly with a strike rate of 90.4 against 75.5. Mandhana secured a crucial ODI victory.
| Player | Years | Mat | Inn | NO | Runs | HS | Avg | BF | SR | 100s | 50s | 4s | 6s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chamari Athapaththu | 2010– | 126 | 125 | 5 | 4154 | 195* | 34.6 | 5505 | 75.5 | 9 | 20 | 537 | 65 |
| Smriti Mandhana | 2013– | 120 | 120 | 7 | 5411 | 136 | 47.9 | 5988 | 90.4 | 14 | 35 | 653 | 74 |
Also Read: Deepti Sharma vs Amelia Kerr: Comparing Their Batting Stats And Records
Test Cricket
As of 2026, Chamari Athapathu has not made her Test debut. This series belongs to Mandhana alone. In 8 Tests, she has scored 635 runs at an average of 48.9, including 2 centuries, 3 half-centuries and a highest century of 149. An average of less than 49 in the longest format suggests that Mandhana’s game extends beyond white-ball cricket, even if there are limited opportunities to prove it given how short the schedule of Test women’s cricket is.
As this format is rare in the women’s game, it is uncertain whether Athapathu will get a chance to play Test cricket for Sri Lanka. On the current evidence, there is only one name worth considering in this series.
| Player | Years | Mat | Inn | NO | Runs | HS | Avg | BF | SR | 100s | 50s | 4s | 6s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chamari Athapaththu | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Smriti Mandhana | 2014– | 8 | 14 | 1 | 635 | 149 | 48.9 | 1002 | 63.4 | 2 | 3 | 108 | 3 |
Who Is Better?
Smriti Mandhana is the better batsman overall. She is much better in ODIs, ahead in overall output and consistency in T20Is, and is the only one of the two to have a Test record to her name. Athapathu’s 9 to 14 ODI centuries and ODI averages of 47.9 to 34.6 establish this comparison most clearly.
Chamari Athapathu’s peak performances, including her 195 not out and three T20I centuries, show a player capable of moments that can rival anyone in the world game. She has also kept Sri Lanka’s batting line-up very inexperienced for most of her career, often receiving less support than Mandhana in the India set-up. Context is important here, but on pure batting numbers in the available formats, Mandhana’s case is the strongest.
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