Intent. Top-order. Consistency. The three words that keep doing the rounds with the India skipper Mithali Raj and head coach Ramesh Powar in the recent past with results not going their way. It was no different after the New Zealand match where they were down to 50/3 in the 20th over.
On Saturday, however, it was different. India stuck to the same eleven, but right from ball one Yastika Bhatia was keen on taking on the West Indies pacers through the leg-side and it worked. That they come from around the wicket to someone who could use the angle and loves pace on the ball did not help their cause. Yastika pulled everything that was a bit on the shorter side from deep midwicket to behind square-leg. Though the southpaw got out for 31 from 21 balls, she had done what was asked of her. By that time, India had raced to 49 for one in the 7th over.
Although Mithali did not last long, Deepti Sharma, who came in at No. 3, continued the intent, trying to be proactive and hit pacers through her favourite deep midwicket region whenever she could. But it took a blinder from Hayley Matthews at first slip to get rid of the all-rounder. As Harmanpreet Kaur joined Smriti, who by this time had got her eye in, the duo milked the West Indies bowling across the ground, building a partnership without much trouble.
West Indies did not attack Harmanpreet’s stumps enough as she settled in nicely, and Smriti, at the other end, persisted through the tough times early on, after which she moved around the crease, jumped out to loft and the elegant cover drives followed as the opener registered her fifth century. It was her second against West Indies, having scored one against them in the 2017 edition as well.
Meanwhile, Harmanpreet, whose form and place in the eleven came under scrutiny during the New Zealand series, picked up from where she left off against the hosts on Thursday. The thumps down the ground, slog-sweeps, sweeps behind square, lofts over long-on all featured in her knock as the Indian vice-captain took an outside leg-stump guard and used her shuffle across well enough to control the angles and lines from the West Indies bowlers.
She brought up her fourth ODI hundred, third in World Cups and first since the epic 171 not out against Australia in the semifinal of the 2017 edition. The duo registered a record 184-run partnership as all the three issues — intent, hundred from a top-order batter and consistency — were addressed without much trouble. The carnage followed as both accelerated after their centuries and got out after a point. Smriti made a 119-ball 123 while Harmanpreet got out for 109 from 107 balls as India finished with 317 for eight in 50 overs.
In reply, West Indies, too, went on an early onslaught with the dangerous Deandra Dottin, who was nursing an injury, making the most of the first ten overs along with Hayley Matthews. That she could not run with ease meant that the all-rounder was going after big shots from ball one. In one Jhulan Goswami over, they smashed 21 runs as Dottin brought up her fifty in just 35 balls. Mithali had to turn to the spinners early on and it worked as Sneh Rana provided the first breakthrough.
Dottin got out for 62 from 46 but the team were going strong at 100 for one in the 13th over. From thereon, one wicket brought another as they were down to 127 for five by the 23rd. Though the middle-order dragged on, the contest was all but over. They were eventually all out for 162 as India registered a massive 155-run victory, which took them to the top of the points table.
Brief scores: India 317/8 (Smriti Mandhana 123, Harmanpreet Kaur 109) beat West Indies 162/10 in 40.3 overs (Deandra Dottin 62; Sneh Rana 3/22)