Opener Mandhana (123), vice-captain Harmanpreet (109) put on record 184 for the fourth wicket to help team amass 317-8; Mithali & Co win by 155 runs to take top spot
Harmanpreet Kaur reacts after scoring her century against West Indies at Hamilton on Saturday. Pic/Getty Images; (Right) Smriti Mandhana en route her 123 on Saturday. Pic/AFP
Harmanpreet Kaur is at her best when she has her back to the wall, the stylish Smriti Mandhana said, after the duo’s hit hundreds in India’s emphatic 155-run victory over West Indies in an ICC Women’s World Cup match.
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While Mandhana smashed her fifth ODI hundred, a sensational 123 off 119 balls, Harmanpreet slammed a 107-ball 109, her fourth three-figure mark, and the first since the epic 171 not out against Australia in the 2017 World Cup.
“I feel when her back is towards the wall, that’s when her best comes out and that’s something which I’ve seen,” Smriti, who shared her Player-of-the-Match award with Harmanpreet in a novel gesture, said in the post-match media interaction here.
“Her work ethic is really up there in the whole team. She keeps going even if she does not get the results. World Cups are the place where she comes good,” she added. The duo put together a record 184-run stand—India’s highest partnership for any wicket at the ICC Women’s World Cup—as the last edition’s runners up put up 317-8 their highest total in the history of the showpiece event.
Talking about their partnership, she said: “The situation was quite tricky when she came into bat. I didn’t want to lose her or lose her focus. But once she was on 30-40s we all started having a lot of fun. We started talking a lot after that.”
The 2017 edition finalists then returned to dismiss West Indies for 162 in 40.3 overs to keep themselves in contention for the knockout stage.
By virtue of this win, India now lead the eight-team standings with four points from three games, ahead of Australia, New Zealand and South Africa because of a better net run rate.
Chasing the stiff total, West Indies were off to a flier with openers Deandra Dottin (62) and Hayley Matthews (43) putting up 100 runs in 12.1 overs, but the spin-pace duo of Sneh Rana (3-22) and Meghna Singh (2-27) put the breaks by rocking the top-order, as the Caribbeans slumped to 114 for four in 19th over.
Brief scores
India 317-8 in 50 overs (S Mandhana 123, H Kaur 109; A Mohammed 2-59) beat WI 162 in 40.3 overs (D Dottin 62, H Matthews 43; S Rana 3-22, M Singh 2-27) by 155 runs
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