MATCH REPORT
Follow UsSmriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur scored sublime centuries while the bowlers survived an early onslaught before getting the better of West Indies as India bounced back from their 2022 Women's World Cup loss to New Zealand with resounding 155-run win on Saturday.
Mithali Raj's decision to bat first seemed like the right decision after Yastika Bhatia and Smriti Mandhana got off to a brisk start scoring 49 off the first six overs. Bhatia's brisk 31 off 21 balls came to an end when she hit a slower ball straight back to pacer Shakera Selman while captain Mithali Raj managed to stay for 11 deliveries before being dismissed by Hayley Matthews.
Matthews then pulled off a sensational catch behind the wicketkeeper when she snared Deepti Sharma's (15) leading edge off with a full stretch dive to her right.
Kaur and Mandhana show class
But Harmanpreet Kaur (109 off 107; 10x4, 2x6) and Smriti Mandhana (123 off 119; 13x4, 2x6) added 184 runs for the fourth wicket which propelled India to a substantial total. The pair started cautiously with Kaur playing the aggressor adding 50 runs in 69 balls. Mandhana, though tentative at the beginning and gifted four reprieves by the West Indies, brought up her fifty in 66 balls with a boundary off Deandra Dottin.
The pair settled down as they rotated the strike and found the boundaries regularly. Kaur, soon reached her fifty in 61 balls with a six off Selman and brought up the 100-run partnership in 117 balls. Mandhana regained her scoring touch and survived a run-out chance before bringing up her fifth ODI hundred with a boundary off Matthews.
The left-hander stepped on the gas, hitting Matthews for three consecutive boundaries before holing it out to Selman off Shamilia Connell's bowling. Kaur, soon reached her third World Cup hundred, at a run-a-ball pace and took her team past the 300-run mark.
India lost four wickets, including Kaur, in the space of seven runs as they put up 317/8 in 50 overs.
Windies openers scare India
Chasing a big total, West Indies were off a sensational start with Deandra Dottin (62 off 46) and Hayley Matthews (43 off 36) taking on the Indian pacers. Dottin, despite struggling with lower back pain, clubbed two boundaries each off Meghna Singh and Jhulan Goswami while Matthews smacked Goswami for three consecutive boundaries. The Windies brought up their fifty in just five overs as Dottin raced off to a fifty within 35 balls.
Mithali Raj switched to spin from both ends in the powerplay but it made no difference as the Windies openers raced off to 100 in 12 overs. However, pain got the better off Dottin when she top-edged Sneh Rana to Meghna Singh at short fine leg.
Dottin's wicket gave the Indian bowlers the confidence as Meghna Singh returned to claim the wickets of Kycia Knight (5) and Stafanie Taylor (1). Rana then got the wicket of Matthews while Pooja Vastrakar sent back Shemaine Campbelle. Rajeshwari Gayakwad trapped Chinelle Henry and ran out Alliyah Alleyne to reduce West Indies to 145/7.
Goswami became the highest wicket-taker in Women's World Cup history when she dismissed Anisa Mohammed in the 36th over. Deepti Sharma ran out Chedean Nation, while Sneh Rana (3-22) wrapped up the innings with a return catch of Shamilia Connell.
