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Cricket PlayersSmriti-Harman show sets up India’s rout of West Indies
The senior batters put together a record partnership of 184 to help Mithali Raj's team bounce back after a defeat to New Zealand
Three days after suffering a crushing defeat against hosts New Zealand in their second World Cup game at Seddon Park in Hamilton, the Indian women’s team bounced back in sterling fashion at the same venue with a 155-run victory against West Indies on Saturday.
Paying heed to coach Ramesh Powar’s call on match eve for the senior players to step up, the experienced pair of Smriti Mandhana (123 off 119 balls) and Harmanpreet Kaur (109 off 107 balls) took charge by hitting centuries and stitching together a 184-run partnership off 176 balls for the fourth wicket. They came together with the team in strife at 78/3, but a record partnership for India in the Women’s World Cup helped the side rack up a daunting total of 317/8. In response, the West Indians were bundled out for 162 in 40.3 overs.
Mandhana and Kaur are known to share a good rapport off the field, and it showed during their stay at the crease as they stroked their way to classy hundreds. While it was opener Mandhana’s fifth ODI ton, Kaur reached the three-figure mark for the third time in her ODI career. Her last century was the knock of 171 not out against Australia in the 2017 World Cup semi-final in Derby that propelled her into the spotlight.
The century brought a big smile to vice-captain Kaur’s face. Ahead of the World Cup, she had shared how she was going into a shell and seeking the help of the team’s mental coach to overcome her patchy run of form. The loss of her 94-year-old grandfather, Amar Singh, in the last week of February was also playing on Kaur’s mind.
The West Indian bowlers began on a confident note with the early wickets of Yastika Bhatia (31 off 21 balls), Deepti Sharma (15) and captain Mithali Raj (5). But all their good work was undone as Mandhana and Kaur rose to the occasion and scored freely. To start with, Mandhana played the big shots while the 32-year-old from Punjab made sure that she took ones and twos to keep the strike rotating.
Mandhana fondly refers to Kaur as Harry di, having looked up to her for inspiration. “Whenever Smriti is there at the crease and I join her in the middle, she always has a joke to crack,” Kaur had once said. “At that moment, I am so serious and thinking how to score quick runs. But she would say, ‘Smile Harry di, why are you so intense?’ And then I burst into laughter.”
They complemented each other’s game perfectly on Saturday. Mandhana went on to laud Kaur’s innings and even shared her Player-of-the-Match award with the vice-captain.
“Scoring a century and not being the Player-of-the-Match is something I wouldn’t want. I think we both contributed equally for us to score 300+. It is good to share the trophy. I am sure the ICC will be giving another trophy, if they have enough budget,” said a smiling Mandhana, who was dismissed by Shamilia Connell in the 43rd over.
“As a batter, I like setting a target as well as chasing a target. Either way, it is very important to get the momentum going your way. Our strengths are really different because she is really good against spin and I like pace on the ball. When the spinner comes on, I give her the strike and vice-versa,” added Mandhana.
Kaur, who hammered 71 off 63 balls in the defeat to New Zealand, was thankful that she had Mandhana for support when she walked in to bat on Saturday. In the previous game, she had run out of partners. “The set batter was there. I was getting that rhythm. Once we are settled, we can get the boundaries as well. Our understanding and the left-right combination helped us. I would love to give the trophy to her because she scored more than me and deserves it,” said Kaur. She was dismissed in the 49th over by medium-pacer Aaliyah Alleyne.
While West Indies’ run chase got a solid foundation with a 100-run opening stand between Deandra Dottin and Hayley Matthews, they lost a cluster of wickets once off-spinner Sneh Rana made the first breakthrough. Rana bowled splendidly right through, finishing with figures of 3/22 in 9.3 overs. Later in the innings, veteran Jhulan Goswami dismissed Anisa Mohammed to become the highest wicket-taker in Women's World Cups, overtaking Australian Lyn Fullston’s tally of 39. India’s massive win has also boosted their net run rate.
Raj, who went past Australia’s Belinda Clark for most appearances as captain in the tournament’s history, said: “It required a special effort today (Saturday). We knew West Indies came in with two wins. We were playing after a big loss. If the set plan is not working, then you have to be a little more flexible. The way Smriti and Harman played was very sensible. They used their experience to get us to the score.”
Brief scores: India 317/8 in 50 overs (Smriti Mandhana 123, Harmanpreet Kaur 109; Anisa Mohammed 2/59) beat West Indies 162 in 40.3 overs (Deandra Dottin 62, Hayley Matthews 43; Sneh Rana 3/22, Meghna Singh 2/27) by 155 runs.
